


Unholy

by ShellyNelsonLahey



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Riverdale, choni
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-10-21 08:23:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 56,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17639237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShellyNelsonLahey/pseuds/ShellyNelsonLahey
Summary: When darkness speaks, it changes everything—turning home into a foreign land and loved ones into strangers. Cutting yourself off from your old life makes sense when you realize that you were never really home in the first place.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Riverdale: the town with pep!
> 
> Sure, there was pep—you could thank the Rivervixens and the Pussycats for that. However, something else was brewing underneath the sweet, innocent facade of the town.
> 
> Gangs, drugs, murder... the citizens of Riverdale were not as kind as they appeared to be. The South Side was littered with gangs and drugs, the Blossoms and the Coopers were related which unfortunately resulted in unknown incest after Polly Cooper got pregnant with Jason Blossom's baby, his father, Clifford Blossom, murdered his son because of his secret drug operation, and to top it all off, a man nicknamed the Black Hood shot Fred Andrews in Pops, and Riverdale was quickly spiraling.
> 
> Not only did the town have to fear the Black Hood, but Melora and her siblings are in for a big surprise when their own family's secrets come out of hiding.

"Archie... Archie, look at me!" Melora Fahy begged her traumatized best friend, holding onto his shoulders in hopes that he would stop pacing back and forth. Thankfully, her altruistic actions ceased his pacing, but it didn't allow her to ease her mind like she had hoped it would. When he turned to look at her upon snapping out of his panicked stupor, his terrified expression absolutely broke the poor, already grief-stricken girl. He was worried for his father, clearly evident from his heavy breathing and quick strides in the hospital lobby, and she definitely didn't judge him for it at all—not only was he one of her best friends, but if this were her father she knew she would have been reacting in a similar manner.

Archie didn't seem to be able to stand still, or even sit down—it was almost as if he was in a trance. It was understandable, though. Melora was desperate to calm him down somehow; there was nothing anyone could do except wait for Fred to get out of surgery, and be didn't deserve to increasingly worry about his father until they gave us a report on how Fred was doing. "Arch, i'm here for you, okay? Pacing isn't going to help you, and there's not much else anyone can do except wait for him to get out of surgery. So, how about you take a deep breath and know that your father is going to be alright, yeah?"

Letting out a small, raggedy sigh, Archie knew that his friend was right. His arms slithered around her waist, pulling her into his body and burrowing his head into the side of her neck. Melora allowed him to revel in her embrace, standing there as long as Archie needed, just taking in the comfort and the presence of one another for a couple of minutes. It was nice, considering she herself had come in a little after the shooting had happened. She was freaking out as well, but being strong for Archie was much more important to her than what she had witnessed beforehand.

The small burst of wind of someone approaching caused Melora to jump in fright. Because of the hug, she wasn't able to tell who it was, exactly, until she felt three bodies join her and Archie—no one but Veronica, Jughead, and Betty would do such a thing. All four of the kids were best friends, there for each other in anyone's time of need. And, right now, Archie needed them even if he tried to push them away—which was a possibility considering he held the world on his shoulders—the four had made a pact that, no matter what, they would be there for each other, always.

The group stood there in the waiting room, simply letting Archie hold onto them for comfort and stability until he pulled away from the hug as a way to tell us them that he didn't want their comfort anymore. Instantly, Veronica, Jughead, and Betty all complied and sat down in the waiting room chairs, worried for how this event was going to affect Archie for the rest of his life. Seeing someone you love get shot right in front of your eyes... none of them could imagine the implications that would cause in someone's mindset.

"What happened, Arch?" Veronica asked in a low, concerned voice, deeming this time appropriate to find out what exactly went down at Pop's.

Archie took in a deep breath, his gaze frozen on the ground as he recalled the events of what happened. Melora knew part of the story—only when she had came in at the end, passing by a man with a black mask on as he rushed away from the crime he had committed at Pop's. He glanced at her with his piercing green eyes, but he didn't attack like she thought he would. Once the shock and horror had filtered through Melora, she rushed into the shoppe and began to help Archie with his dad, sitting in the passenger seat to keep pressure on Fred's wound as Archie crazily drove towards the hospital despite having no license.

"I came out of the bathroom, and there was this man... thief," Archie started, unsure of what to call him as he shook his head lightly. "Wearing this hood, with a gun up at Pop Tate, and then he pointed it at my dad and fired."

"My God, Archie..." Veronica lowly gasped in horror.

"And then he—" Archie stopped himself, taking in a sharp breath and piquing everyone's interest as they wanted him to continue on the atrocity he had witnessed.

"And then he what?" Veronica urged him on, but more so in a concerning way than trying to pry it out of him.

"And then he bolted," Archie finished, looking up at Melora with the tiniest of appreciative smiles. "I saw Melora outside of the window, and she came in to help."

"You were there?" Betty exclaimed as she turned to face the girl, her mouth parting in shock. "What were you doing at Pop's?"

"I was just wanting to get a quick shake," Melora murmured, only partly lying. The milkshake wasn't a lie, but how many she was getting was—her order of a chocolate and vanilla milkshake was for someone she had grown very close to, yet she knew her friends wouldn't be very fond of. Bending the truth a little bit wouldn't hurt them, would it? It didn't matter who I was with— t's not important to what happened, Melora explained herself in her thoughts, biting down on her lip as she continued with the story. "He passed by me, the man with the black hood. After hearing the gunshots, I thought he was going to kill me, too. I was thankful that he didn't, but I felt like I was frozen for a long time, even though it probably wasn't even a minute. It was only when Archie was dragging his father out the front door that I snapped out of it and helped get Fred into the truck. I kept pressure on his wound, and when we got here, one of the nurses told me that it really helped keep him alive. He would have lost a lot more blood if I wasn't there..."

"Wow, that's... horrible," Jughead voiced his concern. "But, I have a question. Why didn't you just call an ambulance?"

Archie gulped, "I was holding my dad, Pop Tate called an ambulance, but it didn't come and I couldn't wait, so I drove here and, I don't know, maybe I should have waited. Maybe I made it worse."

"No, dude, are you kidding me?" Jughead scoffed, placing a comforting hand on Archie's back as he told him that it wasn't his fault. "You saved your dad's life. First, Cheryl, and now your dad? If you keep this up, you're gonna need a superhero name. Pureheart the Powerful." As weird as that superhero name was, Melora didn't comment on it—normally she would rarely bite her tongue but in this instance it was better to let bygones be bygones.

"There isn't any new information. Your dad's in surgery and he's gonna be there for a while," Alice Cooper spoke as Veronica and Betty's parents joined the kids' huddle.

Hermione sighed, bending down to Archie's level. "Archie, have you spoken to your mother about any of this yet?"

"No... No, I haven't called her," Archie replied. He then mulled over what Hermione had asked, and stood up. "I'll be right back."

"Melora!" Melora snapped her head over to see her family standing by the door frame of the hospital, worried expressions plastered onto their expressions—however, they were also smiling, happy to see their daughter safe and alive. Claudia and Richard Fahy always tired to be enthusiastic about everything, but even through their relieved eyes, all five of their children knew they were much more terrified than they looked on the inside. "Oh, we were so worried!"

The next thing Melora knew, it was her turn to be squished into a giant group hug. She could practically feel the terror washing off of their bodies as they closed around her, as if they thought she was simply an illusion and the only way to make sure that she was real was to touch her.

"I'm fine, you guys," Melora sighed lightly, closing her eyes to enjoy the comfort and feel of her family's embrace, how much they loved and cared for her, and how relieved they were that she was okay. "The shooter walked right past me. I guess i'm lucky, huh?"

"Lucky? It's probably because he knew deep down in his mind that your father would whoop his ass if he laid a finger on his little girl," Claudia teased, backing away from the group hug which created a chain reaction with the rest of the Fahy family. "How's Archie, honey?"

"He's... shaken, but I think he's going to be alright," Melora replied, not entire sure of her answer but finding that those words were the closest she was going to get. She sorrowfully glanced down at the floor. "At least, I hope he will. Seeing someone you love dearly getting shot right before your eyes would be incredibly traumatizing. So, i'm going to try and help him all that I can until the situation has changed for the better. Which, hopefully, it will."


	2. Chapter 2

Melora and Archie sat uncomfortably in an empty office at the hospital, being interrogated by Sheriff Keller about what happened at Pop's. Suffice to say, both of the teenagers were nervous simply being in the presence of a cop—Melora drummed her fingers on the edge of the chair she was sat in. Being forced to think about that tragic event that seemed to go by agonizingly slow when in reality it was faster paced, she wondered what would have happened if she had ran into Archie too late, or if she had stumbled across a bloody scene instead of her friend. Or, what if she stumbled into a triple murder scene? The thought of it was so hard to bare, she felt sick to her stomach.

"He must have been about five feet, ten inches," Melora corroborated with Archie's previous statement, finally snapping herself out of her stupor. It must have been about twenty seconds where she was lost in her head, forcing Archie and Sheriff Keller a weird, silent atmosphere. "I mean, i'm five feet and six inches, so he wasn't that much taller than me. Actually, he was about your height, Sheriff Keller."

Sheriff Keller glanced at the girl, almost unsettled at how his measurements mirrored a criminals. Despite the shiver that went up his spine, he nodded, taking the information into consideration. "He was wearing dark pants, and a dark jacket?" Archie and Melora looked to one another for confirmation, both agreeing with a small nod. "Anything on that jacket? A—A symbol or—"

"You mean, like a snake?" Jughead butt in defensively. Melora wasn't sure why he wanted to be in here, but he was both Archie and Melora's friend, and not feeling so tiny being under a magnifying glass with another person not in the investigation did feel just a bit better. Melora also figured that the boy wanted to make sure his friends were treated right.

Melora tensed up at the mention of the South Side Serpents, clenching her jaw as her thoughts drifted to what her Serpent friend was up to right now, if they were worried about her, if they even knew what had happened at all.

"No... no snake," Archie stated, sending Jughead a small, reassuring glance.

"And this ski mask he had on—"

"No, it's not a ski mask!" Archie interrupted the Sheriff, growing heated as everyone had mistook what he had described and automatically thought that it was a ski mask. Melora silently agreed, of course, but a ski mask was pretty close. As long as the shooter were to be found, that was all that mattered. "It's a hood. A black hood—homemade, like he cut the eyes out himself, and the guy's eyes were green."

"Pop Tate had a fairly good idea of what happened up until your father was shot. And then, well, there's some gaps," Sheriff Keller explained. "I need you to help me fill those." The man looked to Archie and Melora seriously. They didn't say anything, but he knew that the two wanted to catch whoever did this to Archie's dad, to Pop Tate, to the group's designated hangout. Why wouldn't they? What would hiding something do except to prolong the investigation? "So, what did he do—the masked man?"

"After he shot my dad?" Archie clarified, gulping as his mind recalled the event once more. Melora hated to see the bottom of his eyes start to pile up with water. He wasn't crying, exactly, but seemed almost on the verge of doing so. His gaze cast to the table, thinking over how to word the story properly. When he realized that Jughead, Melora, and the Sheriff were all staring at him, he snapped out of his head and looked over at Jughead and Melora, then to Sheriff Keller before shaking his head. "Nothing. He shot my dad and ran out of the diner."

The look on Jughead's face just barely mimicked Melora's—something wasn't adding up. The two—who were pretty good at reading people—they knew that their redheaded friend had to have been keeping something to himself. Whatever he was thinking about, he didn't want them, or at least the Sheriff, to know.

"Who did this, Sheriff?" Archie whispered, wanting an answer even though they all knew it was way too early to tell, which is exactly what the Sheriff told him.

"Archie, it's just too early to speculate. This guy was probably out of his head on meth or Jingle Jangle, some South Side lowlife that was just looking for a cash grab," Sheriff Keller explained, giving his prediction on the situation. Melora breathed in heavily, trying to keep her cool. She hated how he automatically thought that it was someone on the South Side of Riverdale—for all Riverdale knew, it was someone from the North Side trying to force the cop's hands into arresting the gangs and druggies of the South Side or something. It would make sense considering the North Side's bias towards the poorer, crime-elevated side of the town.

"How much did he get? How much cash?" Jughead asked.

"We're waiting to hear about that from Pop Tate," Sheriff explained.

"Since this is Riverdale, I have to ask," Jughead started, placing a bag of nuts onto the table. "What if robbery wasn't the motive? What else could it be?"

"Well, I suppose it could be someone who has a grudge against your dad—wanted to make it look like a robbery. I mean, it's just too early to tell," Sheriff sighed, shaking his head dismissively.

All three of the teenagers glanced at one another after he had popped the idea about a grudge against Archie's father into their heads. After what spiraled out recently, they knew that Veronica's dad wasn't too fond of Mr. Andrews getting intimately close with his wife. You never know what somebody is capable of... especially for somebody who was recently in jail.

After that, the interrogation was over, so he let the kids go back into the waiting room where Betty and Veronica sat. However, Melora stopped beside Jughead as he tugged on Archie's arm. Jughead looked over at Melora, as if telling me to go back to the girls, but she simply raised her eyebrows challengingly, knowing that that wasn't going to happen. Jughead knew she wasn't going to be excluded from whatever he wanted to confront Archie about, so he sighed and turned back to the redhead, willing to add the girl into the conversation.

"Archie, were you not telling Sheriff Keller something?" Jughead questioned.

"My dad told me that he and Mrs. Lodge fired the Serpents who worked on their crew," Archie informed him. "I know that your dad vouches for them, but what if one of them was pissed off enough to do something?"

"Let me see what I can find out," Jughead placed a reassuring hand on Archie's shoulder. Apparently, the three were thinking different things after Sheriff Keller told them that it might have been because of a grudge. With a shocked expression, Melora stopped the two boys from leaving—she couldn't let them just think it was a Serpent without any concrete evidence.

"Guys, the Serpents listen to FP," Melora explained, rolling her eyes. "The only way any of them would go against FP's wishes is if they listened to Jughead's father's orders, or they went rogue. But, do you think any of them would actually risk their Serpent careers just to kill your dad? I don't buy it. Serpents aren't stupid, hence why they're Serpents. They're smart and cunning, kind of like Slytherin's from Harry Potter."

"If they hated my dad enough, yeah," Archie denied her attempt at getting them to look at multiple suspects instead of automatically blaming the Serpents like every North Sider did. "And, since when did you become a protector of the Serpents?"

"I'm a feminist, Archie, it's what I do," Melora mumbled. "My job is to keep everything fair and just, and automatically blaming the Serpents is what every North Sider does. We need to find other angles, because something tells me that it wasn't them. I just... I just have a hunch."

"Okay, well, this is all we have so far, so until you find something else, let's go on what we do have," Archie ended the conversation by turning to Jughead and wrapping him into a hug. "Thanks, bro."

"Yeah," Jughead nodded, embracing the hug for a couple of seconds before he began to rush out of the hospital to go and figure this out.

Melora knew that if she was to help get to the bottom of this, she had to go to the South Side and figure this out herself. And with Jughead leaving the hospital, she figured that that was exactly where he was going. So, in order to help figure out who shot Fred Andrews, Melora had to join Jughead in going to the South Side. "Jughead, wait!"

"What?"

"I'm coming with you," the girl demanded, walking beside him as he slowed his pace to laugh at her. "What? I am!"

"I'm not going to the South Side, i'm simply calling Tall Boy here to the hospital," Jughead informed the eager girl lowly, placing his hand on her back as he led her outside so no one could overhear their conversation. "Besides, why do you want to be with me when I talk to the Serpents?"

"Because I want to get to the bottom of this, Jug!" Melora let out a deep breath of air, a desperate way of crying out for help. "And, to be honest, my gut tells me that the Serpents didn't do this. Maybe one of them did, but not all of them, and I know how North Sider's are, Jug. They're going to blame them all. I have to find out who did it and make sure they are the only one who has to pay for it."

"You sound like you aren't a North Sider," Jughead pointed out, suspiciously narrowing his eyes. "You were with a Serpent when it all happened, weren't you? You've gotten close to one, or you're dating one—who is it?"

"It's nothing, Jughead," Melora shook her head, usually loving how great Jughead was at solving mysteries, but now was despising it for figuring out what she was trying to hide so quickly. "Seriously. I just want to catch who did this." She began to turn around, knowing that if she were to find the shooter, she had to go into South Side territory and do it herself. Not at some stupid meet up—Tall Boy didn't exactly prove that he could be trustworthy. It wasn't because of how he looked, or what he did, or the fact that he was from the South Side, it was because something about him seemed slightly off and it bothered Melora to no end that she wasn't sure what it was. 

"Who is it, Melora?" Jughead demanded, stopping the girl from turning around as he grabbed onto her arm and spun her back to face him. "Whoever it is, they're dangerous for you."

"Look, I may not like your relationship with Betty, but I don't comment on that to your face, so don't do the same with mine," Melora spat at him.

"What's wrong with Betty and I?"

"Just drop it, Jughead," she scowled, ripping her arm away from his grip. "Have fun with your little Serpent talk. Tall Boy may be able to ask around, but what if he hides information from you to keep somebody safe? I can't let that happen, so i'll just do a follow up on what he tells you, or do some investigating on my own. Whatever happens, just let me do what I need to do, alright? If it kills me, then you can tell everyone how stupid I was to run into a pit full of deadly, poisonous snakes."

"You're crazy, Fahy. Be careful, alright?"

"Don't worry, I'm not as weak as I seem—it's my ultimate strength. Look weak, but have the ability to rip somebody's throat out with my teeth. It's very helpful."

"Okay... still, be careful. I don't need whoever your Serpent friend is to kill me for letting your stupid ass try to be a detective."

"Speak for yourself, Jones."


	3. Chapter 3

"Toni, I know I didn't answer my phone earlier this morning, but I have a perfectly reasonable explanation," Melora begged, groaning as she tried to get her Serpent friend to pick up her phone. As far as she knew, Toni wasn't at work yet, so either she decided to work early or she was ignoring Melora, and the thought of that hurt especially because she had a good reason not to show up with her vanilla milkshake. "Look, just, call me back, okay? I'm on the South Side, but I have no clue where The Whyte Wyrm is, so if I end up in an alley with my dead body stuffed into a trashcan, i'm going to blame you. Let this and my—I don't know—eight voicemails be evidence against you."

Melora hung up the phone call, noting the six calls she had previously made to Toni as the screen popped up. Swiping up on the window, her phone automatically went to the home screen, which was a picture of Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica, Kevin, and Melora smiling like the best friends that they were. A small smile automatically made its way onto the girl's lips, happy thoughts and memories flooding into her brain.

Before Veronica came to Riverdale, Melora's life was a chaotic mess. She would look at girls and find them alluring, only to tell herself that they had great boobs, or a great ass, and excusing those thoughts as what a guy would like on their bodies. But, thanks to Veronica, she realized that Melora was, in fact, hitting on them. Pretending it was all for men in general was simply a ruse which since the raven haired New Yorker, has thankfully diminished. When Veronica came to Riverdale, Melora realized that she had majorly crushed on her—the way she would look at the boys in this town was the same as gawking at Veronica. Of course, nothing happened with the crush, but she was slowly beginning to understand that she liked girls.

A little bit before Veronica had arrived in Riverdale, Melora had a small thing with Midge Klump—it wasn't really a serious fling, but they kissed, and cuddled, and sometimes fell asleep in one another's bed. She found out that the Klump girl only came to her for comfort when her and Moose were having a fight, which is why Melora wasn't a big fan of Moose Mason. And being friends with Kevin and knowing Moose was going to cheat on Midge with her best friend put a serious damper on how she felt about who he was as a person. At least Midge didn't do anything with Melora unless they were taking a break from a big fight or something like that.

When Melora met Toni, however, was when she realized that she was pansexual. The pink haired Serpent helped her come to terms with herself, and the two have gotten really close because of it. They have only kissed a couple of times, mainly from dares. One of them, though, was because Melora was simply curious how it would feel to kiss her, like, truly kiss her without the pressure of a dare. And she loved it—her lips were soft, her fingers sent shivers down Melora's spine as she caressed her skin, and everything just seemed to click into place after that. Sadly, she didn't feel that way for the girl; she told Melora after their last kiss, the real one, that she wasn't romantically into her, and she respected that. So, she settled for being best friends and even though it did hurt her before, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing over here on the South Side? Are you lost, or just looking for trouble?" Melora snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at a taller boy with raven black hair—he was about a foot taller than she was, with dark, intimidating brown eyes. He sported a blue plaid shirt, which was accentuated by his tattoo of a Serpent, clearly indicating which gang he belonged to.

"Pretty? Damn, I wanted to look powerful and threatening," Melora slumped lightly, trying not to show that she was slightly scared about what could happen now that she was actually facing another Serpent other than Toni. Toni, she could trust. Others? Not unless she got to know them on the level she did with her only Serpent friend.

"Well, your eyes show just how terrified you are. How about you stick with me, Sweets? I'll make sure you leave here safely," the boy stated, crossing his arms as he awaited her response.

Melora raised her eyebrows, appalled at the way he talked to her—like she wasn't able to protect herself, that she was here on accident. She wasn't, though, and she had come prepared with pepper spray and a will to live, just in case. "Sweets? How about you tell me your name, and i'll give you something else to call me that isn't another name for candy. And maybe I won't clock you in the jaw for assuming I don't know how to protect myself on the South Side."

"Oh, you're going to clock me in the jaw?" he feigned a gasp, taking a couple of steps toward the girl before he bent down and placed his hands on his knees, facing her as he grinned wildly. "Go ahead, Sweets."

"I'm not going to give you a reason to do something bad to me, little snake," she huffed dramatically, slowly gaining her usual amount of confidence back. If he had wanted to do something to her, she knew that he would have initiated his move already. "I'm Melora, and you are?"

"Apparently, my new name is Little Snake," he released from his stance and straightened up his jacket, a tiny little smirk playing on his lips. "Or, you can call me Sweet Pea."

A look of recognition crossed over Melora's features, remembering the name from Toni. Apparently, he was the hot-headed boy who she kept cool and collected. "Oh, so you're Sweet Pea!" Melora gasped, not meaning to say anything out loud as he gave her a shocked, curious expression. Quickly, Melora explained, flustered, "I—i'm friends with Toni, she says you're, uh, you're one of her friends and a fellow Serpent. I—I didn't mean to, uh, to come off as a stalker."

"You can stalk me all you like, Sweets," he chuckled.

Melora was quick to drop her embarrassed fluster. "I have better things to do than watch boys who think a girl stalking them is cute," she rolled her eyes, finding that idea absolutely pathetic. When boys do it, it's terrifying and can end up with murder, and when a girl does it, it's cute? Bullshit. Besides, this wasn't Twilight, and neither of them were Edward Cullen. "Can you just show me where The Whyte Wyrm is, please?"

"The Whyte Wyrm? Are you sure you want to step directly into the snake pit?" Sweet Pea tilted his head teasingly, earning a glare from the girl who was beginning to grow impatient. "Let me guess, you're meeting Toni on her turf for the first time?"

"Technically, it's your turf, too," Melora shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hide the smile that was spreading across her lips. "But, yeah, it is, so could you help me, Sweetie?"

"Sweetie?" He scoffed, curling his lip and looking to the side in a show of annoyance. "Not anymore, I won't. Don't call me that."

"Will you stop calling me Sweets?" Melora challengingly cocked an eyebrow, trying to make a compromise as she stood beside him. Despite what he had just said about not helping her, the two mindlessly began to walk in the direction of where Melora hoped The Whyte Wyrm stood.

He stayed silent for a couple of seconds. "Fine, you can call me Sweetie, but say it in front of anybody else, and I'll snap your wrist, you hear me?"

"Sure, Sweetie," Melora snickered lightly. "I hear you."

Sweet Pea sneered, "cute," but it didn't seem to be in disgust, or anything along that line considering that he let a small chuckle escape his lips.

"I know," the girl grinned at him, laughing lightly. "So... how does the jacket feel? I've always wondered. I've been too afraid to touch Toni's because, like, I'm not a Serpent and I feel as if my North Sider hands would contaminate it or something."


	4. Chapter 4

After about ten minutes, Melora and Sweet Pea stopped by the doors of The Whyte Wyrm—being so close to the building set the girl on edge. She wasn't sure what exactly was making her feel nervous, but she knew it wasn't the people inside of it. She was friends with Toni, and as long as Melora didn't let her sassy mouth get her into any trouble, she should be alright. Although, considering her personality, biting her tongue was going to be harder than she wished it was.

Sweet Pea opened up the door, stepping to the side to let her through—Melora sent him an appreciative smile, and couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks when he returned it. Most people would have been absolutely flabbergasted that a boy like him, an enraged, angry South Sider, would even know manners, but Melora wasn't surprised. Treat somebody like a human being, and they will reciprocate it back—usually, at least.

As soon as Melora walked into the building, her head turned towards the bar to greet Toni, who blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Mel, what are you doing here?" The pink haired girl slowly stopped wiping up the counter, her eyebrows furrowing in wonder. "You do realize you're in The Whyte Wyrm, right? Serpent territory? You're a North Sider, Mel, it's dangerous for you to be here."

"Oh... I am? I thought I was in Chuck E. Cheese's because of all of the sick tattoos and stares of young kids," Melora joked with a teasing smirk, managing to earn a couple of smiles from Toni and Sweet Pea. Hell, even another guy across the bar cracked one. "No, but, seriously, I'm here because I need your help."

"With what?" Toni asked, returning to her work of wiping off the table with a wash cloth.

"Well, when I was going to get us some milkshakes, this guy in a black hood apparently decided to rob Pop's or something," Melora explained, "he shot Fred Andrews, and walked right past me. I need to find him."

"Why do you want to find a guy who spared your life?" Sweet Pea questioned, sending the girl a weird look before nodding in thanks at Toni as she handed him a glass of water. He took a couple of swigs, then brought his expression back to what it was, waiting for her to answer.

"Why? Well, not only did he shoot somebody, but knowing how my side is, they're going to want to blame you guys. I have to figure out who did it so they'll only blame the shooter and not the Serpents. My friends already think it might be a South Sider, so I'm here to figure it out myself and make sure no one blames the entire South Side community," Melora crossed her arms pointedly, groaning as she placed her head in her hands. "It's going to be so hard! Why does my side have to be so... ignorant?"

"So, you want me to ask around?" Toni quirked an eyebrow. "I can do that."

"We can do that," Sweet Pea corrected. "I'm in this now."

"You've known me for, like, fifteen minutes," Melora retorted, however was unable to hide her smirk at the fact that the boy she had been talking to wanted to help her. "And, yeah, you're friends with Toni, but why would you want to help me? You look like you kill first and ask questions never. I don't need dead bodies, I need answers."

Toni snickered under her breath, "I think I know why Sweet Pea wants to help." It was Melora's turn to give her friend a confused look, unsure of what she was talking about. Slowly making her way towards the bar, she rested her arms on the edge and leaned towards Toni, who continued, "Sweet Pea and I compliment each other. He's full of rage and is easily angered. I, on the other hand, keep him in check because I'm cool and collected, the opposite of him. I know him very well."

"That... That didn't answer anything," Melora stated bluntly, absolutely taken aback as Toni simply smirked knowingly before she turned around to that other guy at the end of the bar, leaving to tend to him. It was weird of Toni to be cryptic like this; normally she would be blunt and informative, but right now she was being anything but. Melora glanced over at Sweet Pea with narrowed eyes, hoping he simply knew her better than she did. "What is she talking about?"

He shrugged, just as lost as she was, "I'm about as clueless as you."

"Count me into this Black Hood investigation, too," the guy who sat at the end of the bar stated, grabbing the glass that Toni had handed to him and sliding it closer towards Sweet Pea and Melora so he could sit on the bar stool beside the new girl. "And, isn't it totally obvious?"

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, arms crossing over his chest broodingly. "What are you talking about, Fangs?"

"Oh, this is the infamous Fangs? God, your names are so cool," Melora murmured lowly, mostly to herself. Then, she groaned at Toni, "Toni, why are your friends so attractive and cool? This isn't fair."

"Your name is Melora," Toni sent her best friend a disapproving stare for a few moments. "It's really pretty, and very unique. And they're not hot, they're my best friends. Besides, you have Jughead, he's pretty cute, right?"

"So is Toni, with an I," Melora pointed out, quickly cocking an eyebrow in a teasing manner. "And Jughead is cute, yeah, but when I say attractive, I mean so hot that I could find myself actually drooling over them. Jughead would like to think he's at that level, but compared to these two? If they asked me to pour cement into my shoes and step into Sweetwater River, I probably would."

"I appreciate the compliment, even though you made it kind of weird in the end. A North Sider who isn't completely full of themselves? I think I like you, Melora..." Sweet Pea trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence without Melora's last name.

She let out a small chuckle once she realized why he had stopped. "Fahy. Melora Fahy. But, please, my family may be wealthy but I try to give to people who need it more than I do any time that I can."

"Where the hell have you been?" Fangs gasped in an over-exaggerated manner, mouth agape. "Do you know how poor the South Side is? Knowing about your father's business, you could probably rebuild the entire South Side."

"Fangs, leave her alone. Let's get back to what happened at that diner," Sweet Pea ceased the previous conversation to create another one, and Melora definitely noticed how he recognized the fact that she was growing slightly uncomfortable from Fangs' straightforwardness. Sweet Pea would probably come off as some idiot tough guy, but he seemed to be really intuitive and engaged in what's happening around him from what Melora had gathered from their talk—she admired that about him. "Tell me more about what happened—what he looked like, what he did, and I'll ask around. Some of the older Serpents are pretty misogynistic, they'd tell me more than Toni."

"Well... he's a couple inches taller than me, he has green eyes, and the gray in his eyebrows tells me that he's kinda old," Melora shrugged, not knowing what else she could really say that could help identify him—he was in a black hood, so it's not like there was any distinctive features to point out. "It's not much, but it's something."

"Did he talk—" Sweet Pea began to ask; however, by the end of his sentence, Melora's phone began to ring, stopping him from continuing his question.

"Sorry," Melora whispered apologetically, digging through her bag for her phone. She answered it and turned a bit more towards Toni in a way that signified that this was a personal conversation. Toni watched as she worked. "Hello?"

"Sweetie, when are you getting home?" Melora's mother's voice came through the phone, worried, yet soft and caring at the same time. "We're all worried about you, and I made lunch."

"Mom, you rarely call me Sweetie," Melora reprimanded, glancing at Sweet Pea awkwardly because of the nickname—he wiggled his eyebrows in return, catching onto the nickname that she had given him being the same one that Claudia called Melora. "I'm not sure when I'll be home, but i'm fine, don't worry. I'm with Toni right now, she's working."

"Where does Toni work?"

Melora's eyes widened as she met Toni's gaze. "Uh... she works at The Whyte Wyrm."

"The Whyte—you're on the South Side?" Claudia exclaimed, suddenly becoming extremely worried for her daughter's safety. "After what happened today? I don't want you over there, Sweetie."

"What, afraid a Serpent is going to snatch me away and make me their bitch?" Melora rolled her eyes. "I'm nobody's bitch."

"Quoting Daryl Dixon is not going to make me feel better, Melora Fahy!" Claudia scolded sternly. "But... I do like and trust Toni, so are you sure you'll be alright? Because if anything happens to you, it will be my fault."

"It would not be your fault if anything happened to me, but yes, mother, I'm fine," Melora sighed lightly, hating how her mother instantly thought to blame herself for her own reckless actions. Although, then Melora knew where she had gotten that part of herself from. Melora was the same way—taking on the weight of the world so that other people wouldn't have to, so she couldn't really blame her mother for thinking that way. "Even if I wasn't here with Toni, I'm cool. I'm FP's son's best friend." Melora knew that had nothing to do with her being safe over on the South Side, because that sure as hell wouldn't give her much safety, but if it would ease her mother's mind, she was going to go for it.

"Doesn't mean they won't harm you," Claudia grumbled lowly, shaking her head dismissively because she knew that her daughter wasn't going to come home just because she wanted her to—she was much more headstrong than that, and she had herself to blame for that. "Fine, then. Call it tough love. If you get hurt..."

"You can place an 'I told you so' bouquet on my gravestone," Melora joked in annoyance, more-so playfully than in actual annoyance. She then laughed lightly to lighten the mood. "Mom, I'll be fine."

"You better," she demanded. "And you better be home in the morning, Melora Iris Fahy!"

"Alright, mom. I'll be home when you wake up in the morning, okay? I'll talk to you later."

"Hopefully," Claudia joked, "bye, love you, Sweetie!"

"Wait—" her mother had hung up. Despite her mother being unable to hear her, she grumbled, "—can you call me honey, instead?"

"Well, you sure are a sweet pea," Toni teased.

"I'm a sweet flower. He's just the serpent hiding underneath me," Melora pointed towards Sweet Pea, who raised his eyebrows in a humorous, sensual manner.

"So, he's under you?" Fangs sucked in his lips, trying to keep himself from laughing.

"Definitely," Melora went along with it. "I mean, he comes off as a hot bad ass, but behind the curtains, you can bet your ass he likes to be bossed around."

"Actually, knowing him, that could make a lot of sense," Toni admitted, dodging the napkin that Sweet Pea playfully threw at her. "What? It's true!"

"Bite me, Topaz," Sweet Pea glared.

"Don't temp me, you know I just might. But maybe you'll like Melora biting you much more than me... call it a hunch."


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a couple of hours of the small group just joking and messing around, simply talking as if they all were friends for years. Such a short amount of time, yet a unique vibe that resonated between the four was almost palpable, and never ending. But, of course, her mother just had to send her a brother to embarrass her in front of the Serpents, ultimately ending the fun conversation they were having.

Oliver Fahy let out a sigh of relief as he paced his way over towards the bar where Toni tended, and Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Melora sat. "Oh, thank God, I was beginning to think I was going to die trying to find The Whyte Wyrm!"

Melora sighed. "Seriously, mom sent you over Aldren? At least he would be able to protect himself. As much as I love you, I love you enough to tell you that you're a twerp."

Oliver glared at her, stopping at a stand behind her stool. "Hey, like, five people looked at me and I think they're planning on following me home and murdering me in my sleep. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"For now," Sweet Pea murmured teasingly, taking a drink and embellishing in the horrified gulp Melora's brother took.

Oliver, with a sudden realization of what he was saying, decided to ease what the Serpents were probably thinking. "And it's not that I think the South Side does that on a regular basis, nor do I truly think that all South Siders are bad people, but—"

"Oh, my God, Ollie, tip number one... you need to stop acting so afraid," Melora chuckled lightly, "I was nervous when I first met Sweet Pea, but I tried my damnedest not to let him know that. Now, take a seat, and take a breath. Despite what you think, people from the South Side don't initiate a fight... usually."

"Oh, did you really? Wow, I had no idea!" Sweet Pea exclaimed, obviously over exaggerating for his sarcastic tone. "And, how do you we don't initiate fights, huh? Maybe he's right, maybe we're going to follow him home and gut him for showing up to the South Side uninvited. You at least had an invitation, can't say the same for your brother."

"Shut up, Sweet Pea," Toni rolled her eyes, turning towards Oliver with an apologetic smile. "Ignore him. I'm Toni, and we here at the South Side aren't going to mess with you as long you don't mess with us. Well, the Serpents, anyway. You're lucky you're Melora's brother—I trust her more than any other person on the North Side."

"So, Ollie, why are you here?" Melora asked, crossing her arms. "Please tell me it's for a fucking drug deal or something."

Oliver shook his head with a teasing grin. "No, mom wanted me to make sure that you're okay."

"Seriously?" Melora grumbled, trying to hide her face in embarrassment as if Sweet Pea and Fangs wouldn't be able to see her. She met Sweet Pea's gaze, his lips growing into a smirk that only made her face grow hotter. She wanted to come off as someone not to be fucked with, but her mother had just shattered all of that by sending her brother to come and keep an eye on her. "Oh, I am so getting back at her for this."

"And she told me to call you Sweetie? I don't know, she said something about you not wanting to be called that anymore," Oliver shrugged unknowingly. "She figured you didn't want Toni to hear someone call you that nickname."

"No, I didn't want to be called that because Sweet Pea over here doesn't need to get anything that he can use against me," Melora growled lowly, sitting up straight as a show of her confidence returning. With a quirked eyebrow, she joked, "and don't let the name fool you, he may look like a sweet pea, but he mostly just smells like them.."

"Considering the flower smells good, are you complimenting my boy?" Fangs narrowed his gaze between Melora and Sweet Pea, licking his lips as he was almost able to taste the sexual tension they emitted—even if they weren't completely aware of it just yet.

"Of course I am, Fangs," Melora drawled, playfully walking her fingers down the wood of the bar. "Would I risk my life to make fun of him when it's not the truth? Honestly, he smells like a fucking god."

"Your name is Fangs? Wow, that is..." Oliver started, blinking at a loss for words.

"Weird?" Fangs tilted his head intimidatingly, almost as if he were begging him to say something wrong. He then smiled, only making it more nerve-wracking for the Fahy child.

"No, actually," Oliver shook his head, biting down on his lip. "I was going to say it was kinda hot."

Melora looked to her brother in shock. "Hot? Wait, did I miss out on you coming out, or is this just you being nice? Also, it is really attractive, isn't it?"

"Shit, I forgot I hadn't come out to anyone," Oliver mumbled meekly. "Surprise?"

"Bitch, join the LGBT club!" Melora exclaimed, excitedly wrapping him into a hug. She leaned to the side to whisper into his ear, "also, I ship it. You and Fangs, fuck yeah."

Oliver leaned away, gasping, "wait, you too? I thought I was the only one in our household! And, really? You ship Fangs and I just because I said his name was hot?"

"Don't worry, you can join the Sweet Melora ship," Toni winked.

Melora's expression dropped as she processed what Toni had said. "Wait... you think I like Sweet Pea?" Her eyebrows furrowed, and a light laugh escaped her lips. "I met him today, T."

"Sweet Melora?" Oliver snickered. "We need to come up with something better than that, because it just seems like you're calling Melora 'sweet' or something. Knowing her, she's almost anything but," he joked.

"Swelora? Pahy? Fea?" Fangs suggested, cocking his eyebrows.

"Never mind, Sweet Melora it is..." Oliver grunted, hating the other possible ship names that Sweet Pea and Melora could produce with their names.

"Wow, my own brother is shipping me... that's cute," Melora sneered. "How about Faliver? Or Olivangs?"

"Faliver," Toni concluded, grinning wildly. "Olivangs reminds me of Harry Potter."

Sweet Pea watched with slight disgust—although mostly he was amused. "You North Siders are weird. But, whatever. Go ahead and think that I like Melora. I don't care, because it's not true."

"Melora sighed loudly to change the subject of the conversation. "Anyways, is the South Side less scary now that you're over here, chilling with some of the young Serpents, Ollie?"

"Definitely," Oliver nodded, letting out an awkward laugh. "Like, everyone tries to make it out to be terrifying and horrible, but other than the scary guys watching me with malicious smiles as I found my way here, it's not that bad."

"This is my first time over here," Melora informed him, sending him a small smile that told him she could relate to his thoughts. "Sweet Pea found me and probably thought I came here to start shit, but all I wanted was to apologize to Toni for disappearing and not giving her the milkshake I promised."

"Well, you did interrupt a shooting," Oliver explained. "You have to apologize for that?"

"No, no, God, no," Toni shook her head, trying to relinquish the idea that she was a cruel, heartless friend immediately. "I didn't know what had happened and I thought she had simply abandoned me to hang out with someone else, so I ignored her calls."

"Wow, Topaz is a stone cold bitch," Fangs took a drink with a smirk, earning a glare from her. When he placed his drink back on the table, the ice in his glass tingled, emitting a high pitched sound. "And to think it was Sweet Pea I had to look out for."

"I think Melora's the one you have to watch out for," Toni hummed. "She may look like a tiny little sweet pea, but she's got some claws and fangs and she's not afraid to use them."

"Did you just say that to use their names?" Melora narrowed her eyes at the Serpent, trying to keep a smile from erupting as the girl burst out laughing, confirming her suspicions. "I mean, yeah, I can protect myself, but, seriously?"

"What? Sweet Pea is a type of flower, you're actually very vicious, and it worked perfectly," Toni mumbled, shrugging uncaringly. "Now you all need to leave me out of your conversations. I'm working, and I'm going to go see if Tall Boy wants a beer. Sweet Pea, take care of my girl!"

"Tall boy?" Melora perked up, the name rolling off of Jughead's lips inciting interest in her; she turned around, watching her friend walk over to a big, scary-looking guy who eyed Melora back curiously. "Somehow, he's more terrifying than I imagined—wait, hey, I don't need a man to take care of me!"

"I'm just imagining you facing another Serpent, or some other South Sider, and acting tough until they pull out a knife or some shit, and then Sweet Pea just gently nudges you aside and smirks at them before fighting them off," Oliver stated aloud, beaming brightly with a dreamy sigh. "Sweet Pea protecting his girlfriend? I need it."

"Well, then, keep dreaming, because I may not have a knife, but mother has taught me how to use my skills to my advantage. You, on the other hand? Have fun with those guys who apparently want to kill you. While you're wishing for me to get hurt so some boy can save me, i'll be in reality having sleepovers with Toni and pretending that you don't exist."

"Jesus... you're so harsh."

"Mother didn't make me a sassy bitch for nothing, Ollie."


	6. Chapter 6

"As fun as talking about juicy gossip is, I can't concentrate when Tall Boy is over there beating someone to a bloody pulp. Do either of you guys know why?" Melora questioned, her head tilted ever so slightly as she watched the Serpent pounding on some guy's face—to the Serpent's surprise, her look wasn't of disgust, but more of intrigue. "At least it's not me... I don't think he's going to relent any time soon, either."

"Probably has some beef with him, or he wants information," Fangs answered, shrugging indifferently. "Either way, it's not our business. I'm new to the Serpents, so here's a little tip that I learned: don't get involved in something that doesn't involve you in the first place. Not only is it safer that way, but then you don't have a target on your back in case you manage to screw things up."

"Yeah, the best thing to do is just stay out of everyone's way, but help if they ask for it," Toni wiped at the bar, sending her best friend a look full of warning.

Sweet Pea, Fangs, Toni, Oliver, and Melora continued to watch as Tall Boy punched the skinny dude over and over again, at the same time conversing with the two other Serpent members that helped him by keeping the guy up and pinning his arms back so he couldn't escape their grasps. Even if he did escape, however, The Whyte Wyrm was Serpent territory, which meant that any and every Serpent would join in helping re-capture the beaten man—because that's what you do for family.

After Tall Boy had decided to let one of the other members take over, he spoke a few words to the other two, then began to make his way towards Melora, Oliver, Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea as they continued to beat on him. Sweet Pea's eyes flicked towards Melora to capture her reaction as he grew closer; she gulped, not really in fear of Tall Boy, but because she was unsure of why he was coming towards the group. If need be, Sweet Pea was ready to jump into action, and so were Toni and Fangs. However, he wasn't here for any of them. He was there for Melora.

"You Jones' kid's friend? Melora?" Tall Boy's deep voice made Melora lean back in shock. She then nodded, opening up her mouth to respond, but he interrupted her before she could say anything. "He told me you'd be over here, looking for answers. No need, I've found someone you'll take interest in."

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked, eyeing her brother in the corner of her eye—his mouth was agape, awestruck in her lack of fear. Sweet Pea admired her for keeping up a front, trying to portray herself as someone who was tough and not-to-be-messed-with girl. A girl who didn't need anybody to keep her safe. But that's probably all that it was, a front. "And who is he?"

"I'm telling you because he told me to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't get hurt," Tall Boy responded gruffly. It wasn't because he was angry—the way he spoke was just his normal voice. Although, he did have a bit of fun with adding a hint of trying to instill fear into the young girl. But she didn't dare back down. She had guts, and Sweet Pea noticed that. He admired that quality about Melora, but he wouldn't let her know his true thoughts and feelings about her. "He said he knew you wouldn't listen to him, and that you want to solve a crime. He—" Tall Boy motioned behind him to the bloody guy, grunting and groaning as the two other Serpents continued to ease him up for questioning. Tall Boy then turned back to Melora, who surprisingly didn't seem that anxious about the situation. She could clearly hold her own, and Sweet Pea liked that as well. Hell, everything about her lured him in, and he was willingly ready to follow her into the abyss. "— was talking about how Fred Andrews was gonna let Hiram Lodge's bitch run the show, fire his crew, and that it was good he got shot."

"So, you're getting information out of him?" Melora cocked an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes in wonder at the skinny guy. "Has he said anything yet?"

"Not yet... you want to give him a couple of hits, North Sider?" Tall Boy smirked, watching her face fall a little bit. It didn't seem to be out of fear or anything, but out of shock of him asking her. "Take it or leave it. When I turn around—"

"—I'm game," she interrupted, stopping his sentence short and shocking her brother and the Serpents around her. "Do you have anything to hit him with? It'd be a very weird conversation telling my mom that I broke my fingers beating somebody up while I was in Serpent territory. She'd probably think one of you tried to kidnap me, and that I held my ground. She'd never let me come back if she thought that."

Sweet Pea began to dig through his pocket for his brass knuckles. He nodded to get her attention as he held them out to her, "here," he placed them into the palm of her hand, smirking as he imagined her beating the shit out of somebody with his knuckles. It was brave, and he was down for watching her use them. "Just make sure you sanitize it and return it to me. Don't want a North Sider taking my shit, especially if it'll get confiscated and tracked back to me."

"Why would I keep your brass knuckles?" She rolled her eyes at him, placing her hand on the edge of the seat as she hopped off of it and onto the floor. "Thanks, Sweet Pea. I appreciate it."

Sweet Pea gave her a welcoming nod, curious as to how much damage she would do, or if she would be able to go through with it. A girl like her, from the North Side? Some doubted that she'd be able to live with herself after this, but we'll see. She seemed like a tough girl—worthy of the Serpents if the situation ever rose, and all of them would be quiet to accept her into their family.

"I feel like I should be stopping you," Oliver stated aloud nervously, eyeing the brass knuckles around her hand as he picked at his fingernails. "But you could easily take a swing at me and burst my head open, so i'm just going to hope that neither of us get grounded because of this."

"Yes, I could... but mother would kill me seeing as you're her favorite," Melora sighed dramatically. "Just make sure you don't end up on my bad side, I may have to borrow Sweet Pea's shit again if I want somebody to take me seriously. It really sucks being a woman—no one thinks you're capable of doing anything that isn't taking care of children, cleaning, and cooking food."

Before she left, Melora ruffled her brother's hair with a grin. "Oh, and if you rat on me to our parents, I just want to let you know that snitches get stitches." Oliver groaned, immediately moving to fix it as he watched her walk after Tall Boy. The way she strutted away left Sweet Pea awestruck, she looked so bad ass and confident—she definitely would fit in the Serpents if she ever wanted to join them. Although, she had a great, wealthy family, and most people in the Serpents joined because they had little to nothing. The only way she would truly qualify is if her life went into shambles, but he would never wish that upon anyone. Except maybe Malachai, that disgusting cannibalistic South Side scum.

"This should be fun," Fangs smirked, looking over to Sweet Pea as he held out some money. "Ten bucks says she can't handle it."

"Yeah? Twenty says she can," Sweet Pea cocked an eyebrow in a challenging manner, taking a twenty out of his pocket and placing it on the table. Toni bet with Sweet Pea, but Oliver bet against them, not believing his sister could handle beating the shit out of somebody.

"You can't turn back now, girlie," Tall Boy reminded Melora, laughing at her as if he knew she was going to cave in and cry like the North Side rich bitch that she was. Melora scoffed at him—the second she had accepted, she made a deal with herself that she wasn't going to back down. Locking her jaw angrily, she turned towards the guy and breathed in and out deeply, relaxing her body before she swung and punched him in the eye. She had gotten into a couple of fights before—mostly petty, girly bullshit, but that was with her claw-like nails. With her fists, however, she was surprised to see crimson red blood cascade down his skin from his eyebrow.

After a couple of moments of gathering her thoughts, she hit him again. And again, and again, and again, and she just... kept punching him. All of the internal anger she had held in for most of her life just flooded out and if she were honest with herself, it felt fucking amazing. She knew she was going a bit overboard with letting out her anguish, but even when the time between her hits faltered, it wasn't out of doubt, or her disbelief of doing what she was doing, but the hits she had given him were beginning to tire her out. She wasn't used to punching anybody, especially for longer than one or two blows. However, the Serpents watching her were impressed with how well she had held out.

Melora shoved the guy up against the wall, threatening him in a low tone. "Tell me what we need to know."

"Look at her go!" Sweet Pea exclaimed, slapping his right hand on the table, mainly towards Fangs as he slumped in annoyance from his loss of money. "It looks like she's enjoying it, Fangs. How about that?"

"Okay, I get it," he mumbled, rolling his eyes as he shoved the eighty dollars into his best friend's palm. He gave forty of it to Toni, since she bet with him.

Melora stayed with Tall Boy and the man for a couple more minutes, gently fingering the brass as Tall Boy interrogated the guy. It wasn't of regret, but something more along the lines of needing something to do, something to touch—mindlessly messing with whatever was in her hands while listening and watching Tall Boy.

"Maybe she's more bad ass than I thought. My bad, I didn't realize you knew your crush so well." Fangs simply smirked as he took a drink of his water, ignoring Sweet Pea's annoyed glare.

Once Tall Boy was done, and they were satisfied with whatever they got out of him, Melora waltzed back over to Sweet Pea, Fangs, Toni, and Oliver sporting a devilish smile. Sweet Pea admired her—the true beauty that shone when she was her sassy self, the way she glanced up into his eyes in a delicate and thankful way, the way she bit down lightly on her bottom lip as she stood before the three Serpents. It was... something else. She was so enamoring, and Sweet Pea couldn't deny his feelings.

"Do you have any rubbing alcohol, or something?" Melora questioned Toni, who laughed, keeping her smile as she bent down under the counter.

"This is the South Side, what do you think?" She brought out a bottle and did her best to get all of the blood off of it. "Fights and shit happen all the time, sometimes because of bets. And, sometimes, they go sideways... speaking of bets, all four of us bet on you."

"You did?" Melora gasped playfully, eyeing the money Toni and Sweet Pea had in their hands. "Let me guess, didn't think the North Side girl had a strong stomach for violence?"

"Remind me to never anger you, especially near Sweet Pea," Oliver told his sister. "Or, you know, near any weapon you could use against me."

"Why do you think i'm going to hurt you? You're my brother," Melora sighed, hurt how he constantly joked about how much of a bad girl she was—with a sudden pang of realization, then she perked up, her eyebrows knitting together as a thought had crossed her mind. "Do you not consider yourself a part of our family?"

Oliver tensed, his mouth opening and closing to find a sufficient answer, only proving her observation to be right. Letting out a hard sigh, he forced himself to reply to her, casting his gaze down so his eyes wouldn't meet hers. "No," he whispered lowly, almost as if he was embarrassed. "You guys treat me well, like family, but I want to know who my real parents are, why they gave me up for adoption. No matter how good you guys are to me, a part of me will always feel like i'm lost, like I'm not... wanted."

"I didn't know you felt that way," Melora murmured, finishing with cleaning up Sweet Pea's brass knuckles with the rubbing alcohol and and a semi-clean rag before she handed it to him with a small, thankful smile. She then turned away, her watering eyes barely noticeable, feeling disappointed about what Oliver had informed her of. She felt as if she couldn't be there any longer, be near him. Sweet Pea thought about if it were him in her position—he'd go let off steam by walking around int he woods by himself, clearing his head, but he knew that everyone was different and that her letting off steam might be completely different. He had no idea what she would do, and after what she had just done, he was actually incredibly worried about the beautiful girl.

"Melora, wait, come on," Oliver sighed, grabbing onto her arm to stop her from leaving. She stayed looking away from the group, refusing to face him. However, she did look to the side, allowing them to see part of her face. "I don't mean it like that, you're just over reacting."

"Oh, you just dug yourself a hole far enough to hit China," Toni winced, watching her best friend grit her teeth and try to keep tears from flowing down her cheeks. "Good luck getting out of there, buddy."

"I'll see you at my house," Melora whispered, still not showing her emotions to the Serpents sitting at the bar, emphasizing the fact that it was her house, not his. "Or, maybe not. I'm not in the mood for late-night hot cocoa, so my door will probably be locked."

She ripped her arm out of his grip and began to make her way out of The Whyte Wyrm. Oliver groaned, letting out an exasperated sigh afterwards as he watched her leave, knowing there was no way he was going to anger her even farther.

Sweet Pea couldn't just let her leave by herself—clearly, she could protect herself, but in the emotional state that she was in, he wasn't comfortable letting her go like that. Especially in the South Side. Who knew who she would run into, what they would try to pull. So, without another thought, he stood up from his seat and called out, "Melora, wait up!" Quickly sending Toni and Fangs a small wave before he jogged lightly to catch up with the girl, he knew he had made the right choice when she glanced at him in the corner of her eyes, which were brimmed with tears. "Hey, you shouldn't be alone out here at an emotional time like this. Some guys could use that to their advantage."

"I'm simply going home," she deadpanned. "I'm not going to stop for some guy, no matter what they say."

"Look, i'm just worried that if you go back to the North Side like this, they're going to blame the Serpents," Sweet Pea told her desperately, only slightly lying. "Why don't you come back to my place and collect yourself? You know, calm down a bit."

"I can't do that," she waved him off. "I, honestly, might fall asleep in your bed and I couldn't intrude."

"If you want to sleep, then that's fine," Sweet Pea shrugged in response, truly uncaring of if she did just that. She would be safe, and he would never take advantage of her. He may have been a gang member, but he was raised by his grandmother—If he ever talked wrong to a woman, she would hit him with a spatula, or her shoe. "Look, I just feel like it'd be better if you cooled off a bit before you went back home. We don't need any more hate for a pretty girl coming back from the South Side crying."

"Pretty?" Melora stopped, casting her gaze on the ground while she tried to cover a small blush by sucking in her lips. "You think i'm pretty? Is this some weird proposition to get me to your place?"

"Oh, please, like you don't know," Sweet Pea chuckled lightly, not wanting to admit it to her directly—mostly because he didn't know how she, or really even he himself, would respond if he actually grew to like her as more than just a friend, which in itself was a weird concept considering she's just as dominant and confident as he seemed. Still, a girl like her... there was no way she didn't realize how beautiful she was.

"I think i'll accept your invitation back to your trailer," Melora smiled, looking up at the boy through her long eyelashes. "But if I fall asleep, you have to wake me up so I can move. I'm not going to hog your bed, alright?."

"Mmhm," he mumbled, barely paying attention as all his eyes focused on were her lips, and the way that she licked them when they grew dry. He couldn't help it. "Yeah... I got it."

 

 

 

[I made a scene finder for Sweet Pea in case any of you wanted to see it!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ1adUhT95k)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty sexy/dirty so if you’re not comfortable with that, just skip it ☺️☺️☺️

Melora smiled thoughtfully at Sweet Pea as he opened the door to his trailer. But, as she glanced around, it was much different than she thought it was going to look like. By the knitted blankets draped over the couch, the clean, homey kitchen, and the array of knitted family quotes dazzled around the trailer indicated that somebody else lived with Sweet Pea, probably a grandmother. Admittedly, Melora thought that he lived alone based on his attitude and don't-fuck-with-me aura, but now that she truly thought about it, it made sense. The only person he truly had of his family was an old grandmother, and he had to join the Serpents in order to keep her, and himself, safe. She greatly admired Sweet Pea for that, because doing whatever you could to protect your family was something she understood completely.

Melora placed herself down on the couch, feeling how soft the knitted blanket was. Melora smiled to herself, remembering her own grandmother and how she would pretty much send all of the children back home with a gift basket of the softest blanket they had ever felt, money, and any other items that they needed or wanted. It wasn't as personal as she figured Sweet Pea's was, but she hadn't seen her grandmother in forever. She missed her. "You live with... your grandma?"

Sweet Pea chuckled nervously, sitting down beside Melora on the couch. "Yeah. She has the bedroom, I have the couch. She wouldn't mind if you fell asleep in her bed, though. She's the nicest woman I've ever known." Pausing, Sweet Pea shifted his weight, almost nervous to continue talking to her. "Actually, I think she'd probably love you. She spoils Fangs and Toni rotten, so having someone else to make goods for would make her so happy."

"Where is she now?" Melora questioned, tilting her head in wonder. "If she heard a female's voice in the trailer, I feel like she would come out to see who you've brought home."

"No," Sweet Pea laughed lightly, shaking his head. "You make it sound like she'd come in to kick you out. Like I said, she'd love to meet you. Right now, she's visiting a friend, so she'll be back tomorrow. They always stay the night. When her friend spends the night here, I go over to Fangs's house and sleep there so she can have the couch. It pulls out into a bed, so..."

"So Sweet Pea, the intimidating South Side Serpent, is much different than he lets on, huh?" Melora teased, leaning into him with her shoulder. "I'm never calling you a scary bad ass ever again."

"Oh? When did you say this?" Sweet Pea inquired, leaning back as he watched her roll her eyes and mimic him. "I don't remember you calling me a scary bad ass, but I do recall you saying that I was hot."

She turned her head, noting just how close their faces were—they could feel each other's hot breath fanning over their faces, which didn't help as they both tried to resist the desire to close the distance between them. "Mmhm... did I? I think that was before I imagined you as grandma's favorite boy."

"I will seriously..." Sweet Pea groaned, running his hands over his face. "You're mean. But then again, all North Siders are, aren't they?."

"Yeah, but me?" Melora slowly moved her face closer to his, resting her chin on his shoulder, which only left about an inch between them. With her lips so close to his earlobe, she whispered, "I like to think of myself as a good girl."

"Mmhm, I'd beg to differ," Sweet Pea murmured lowly, resting his right hand on Melora's cheek tenderly.

"You didn't let me finish. I think of myself as a good girl... wanting to feel like she's bad. Maybe you could help me, Sweets," Melora giggled seductively, giving him the last bit of courage to place his lips upon hers. Their eyes closed as they both breathed in each other's scent, getting the feel of one another's lips.

Before Sweet Pea could even try and take control of their heated moment, Melora moved to straddle Sweet Pea's waist. He breathed in heavily, looking up at her as she smiled. Her fingers grabbed at the front of his South Side Serpent jacket, tugging at it to tell him that she wanted it off. "Let's hope your grandma doesn't randomly decide to come back home early. I'd never be able to show my face here again."

"Let's not talk about my grandmother, please." Sweet Pea laughed lightly as he shrugged his jacket off. "And don't jinx it... or ruin the mood."

"Aw, you think you're in charge. That's cute," Melora snickered, kissing his neck on the ink of his Serpent tattoo as she grabbed at the bottom of his white t-shirt, leading it up and over his head. For a few moments, she admired Sweet Pea's muscles, the softness of his stomach, his entire body shape. There were a couple of old scars, which she traced over with her fingers, but nevertheless, she loved the feel of his body under the tips of her fingers. Teasingly, Melora left a hot trail where the pads of her fingers connected with his skin. She loved feeling his chest rise and fall as he breathed. Sweet Pea allowed her to feel his body—while she did so, he enjoyed peppering kisses on her exposed collarbone.

Sweet Pea bent back a little bit to help her take off her shirt, it being his turn to admire her.

Melora stood up from his lap, shimmying her pants down onto the floor before she giggled and leaned over to her phone that she left on the table. Sweet Pea looked to her with a curious expression, watching her patiently. "Usually I love the sexy, slow undressing, but something about you taking off your jacket is incredibly hot. So... take it all off."

He smirked, finding Toni to be right earlier—he did find it kind of hot to be bossed around, especially by Melora. She placed her phone down as slow, sultry music began to play from its speakers. Then, she took off her shirt and shorts, watching the dark haired boy in content.

Sweet Pea grinned like a child as he tugged her back towards the middle of the couch, placing her between his legs. He felt her soft skin, reveling in the warmth that she radiated now that she was undressed, and with him being just as bare as she was, the trailer would be heating up quickly. His mouth went towards her stomach, moving with the flow of their movements. Melora helped by rocking her hips back and forth sensually and lowering herself to allow him to reach other areas. She quickly slipped his boxers off, craving to be able to see his entire body.

Sweet Pea scooted to one side of the couch, laying his head down on the armrest and inviting Melora to sit on top of his stomach while she waited for him to help her join him in the bare chill of the trailer. His hands slithered behind her back, managing to unhook her bra after a couple of fumbles. Tossing it to the side, he then did the same with her underwear, looking her up and down as he took in her body. He thought she was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.

"So, who's gonna be in charge? You, or me?"

"Oh, that'll definitely be me, Sweetie," Melora whispered into his ear as she brought herself just a tiny bit closer. "Maybe if you behave, we can switch."


	8. Chapter 8

"If anyone ever tells me that you're a ferocious gang member who can slit my throat in two seconds, i'm going to remember our tender moments and prove them wrong," Melora mumbled, her eyes fluttering open to find Sweet Pea in the small kitchen cooking breakfast—a smile uplifted the corners of her mouth as the aroma of bacon clouded around the trailer. "A gang member cooking breakfast? I thought you all ate bullets for breakfast, or something."

"Shh, don't blow my cover," Sweet Pea looked over at me with a light smirk. "No, but, seriously? I may be in a gang, but that doesn't mean I won't know how to cook. It's a basic skill in life to survive. Can you do better, North Sider?"

"Eh, probably not. Whenever I do cook for myself, one of my damn siblings decides to take it from under my nose," Melora sat up on the couch with a huff at the memories her delightful siblings had left her with; she felt the cool air blast against her skin, reminding her about what happened between her and Sweet Pea last night, and the fact that she was still naked despite the cold, bitter morning air chilling the outside of the trailer. Melora shivered, ripping the blanket her and Sweet Pea cuddled in onto her body so she could look for her discarded clothing. "One, you look incredibly fucking good without your jacket on. Two, where the fuck did you throw my bra? It's my favorite, and it cost two hundred dollars."

"Is that because I'm pretty much naked, or a subtle way to tell me you don't like me being a Serpent?" Sweet Pea questioned, cocking an eyebrow inquisitively. "And try behind the couch. I wasn't looking where I placed anything because, well... your body was so enticing and I just couldn't wait any longer."

"Definitely the second one," Melora rolled her eyes, knowing that she would never think that—sure, he was in a gang, but mostly it was for the protection, for the unity of family, and he couldn't blame him for wanting it because she was born with it. He had to earn it. Once she found her bra, shirt, and pants, Melora grit her teeth in annoyance as she was unable to find her underwear. "I can't find my underwear. Jesus, you better not have any other girls over until I can find them because I am not having some girl steal my favorite underwear, either." Melora had given in, joining Sweet Pea in the kitchen.

"Oh, so you think I'm one of those hump-n-dump kinda guys, huh? You should really get to know me, then, because I'm not like that," Sweet Pea gave her a slightly disappointed look, then sighed as he revealed the truth. "At least, I'm not like that anymore. My grandmother found out and she was not happy about it so she hit me with her shoe until my brain rewired itself."

"I can't tell if you're joking or not."

"Partially. She did find out, but she didn't hit me or anything," Sweet Pea chuckled lightly. "She was just so angry that I was this asshole, and her reaction made me change the way I was. No more bringing girls home every night, no more meaningless sex. I would feel really bad for last night, but then again I don't find what we did meaningless, so does that still make me that asshole?"

Melora smiled gently at him, at how he really didn't want to be like that again and he was afraid he had relapsed—but considering he just told her that she wasn't just a one night stand, there was nothing wrong with what they had done according to the new and improved Sweet Pea. Melora soothingly ran her fingers through his messy bed-head hair, grabbing a fist full of it to bring his cheek to her lips for a tiny kiss. "No, it doesn't. If it meant as much as it did to me, then no. I mean, even if it did mean nothing to me, which it didn't, the view is pretty great and in of itself is a reason to... I don't know..." Melora bit down on her lip, unsure if she wanted to say what she really wanted to say. "Maybe I should skip school, stay here—I wouldn't mind staying here with you."

"No, you're not going to do that," Sweet Pea stated, shaking his head dismissively. "You're lucky you even have teachers who care for your education. We just show up, do what we want, and then go home when school is over. I would honestly kill to go to your school, Lora."

Melora perked up at the nickname. "Lora? Aw, you found me a different nickname, Sweetie!" she smiled, which only brightened as he laughed lightly. "Wish I could sneak you to Riverdale High with me, but you'd stick out like a sore thumb because of your really sexy Serpent jacket."

"Hey, you know what? You should put it on," Sweet Pea grinned. "You told me you always wanted to ask Toni, but were afraid it would be constricting with a weird Serpent law that definitely does not exist. I mean, I took mine off last night."

"As tempting as it is for me to wear your jacket, I think i'll do it next time," Melora sighed dramatically, swinging around to the other side of him. This was a much better way to ask him. Meekly, she continued suggestively, "that is, if you want a next time?"

"Why is that even a question?" Sweet Pea snorted, but left the tiniest of smirks playing on his lips. "Let me guess, you want to wear the jacket, and only that."

Melora snickered, "assuming you mean naked, yes. It'll kind of be our little secret. My naked body will always be against you as long as you have the jacket on."

"Mmhm, that's hot to think about," Sweet Pea murmured, turning his head to look at the girl. She was, like always, absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. As Melora met his gaze, he admired her while she noted how much less intimidating his dark brown eyes were than yesterday when she had first met him. They were lighter, and inviting, and had sprinkles of gold hidden among them that the sun from the windowsill revealed. "But you can't tell anybody about this."

"About us having sex, or that you're secretly a softie?" Melora inquired, earning a small, knowing chuckle from him. "Softie, got it. Having sex with a North Sider may give you some points, though. I mean, stereotypically, we're all rich assholes who don't want anything to do with the South Side. Should I leave you my underwear and some expensive gift as a token, or is this not the eighties?"

"Not the eighties. great Sixteen Candles reference, too. Although, maybe we should eat before the food gets cold," Sweet Pea stated with a smile, handing Melora a plate full of bacon, eggs, and hash-browns.

Melora sucked in her lips awkwardly, finally able to see that he had previously made eggs and had set them aside. "I hate to tell you this, but i'm allergic to eggs—however, it looks delicious."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sweet Pea used his fingers to shove them back into the pan that he had made them in. "Is that better?"

"Thanks, Sweetie," Melora gave him a sweet peck on the cheek. "I won't tell anyone that you're really a softie behind closed doors. However, the fact that I was in charge last night is not to be hidden, kapishe?"

Sweet Pea groaned. "What, and let Toni be right? Can't you just tell her that it was a brief time where you dominated me, and that I was mainly in control?"

"No, because Toni knows when i'm lying," Melora said bluntly, smiling brightly as he slumped playfully. "But you can tell Fangs that, if you want."

"No, there's no use. Toni would blab about it," Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. "So... what are you going to do before school? You know, other than tell everyone about screwing a South Sider?"

"Mmhm... if I have time I'll probably take a shower, change into new clothes... I'll also grab some hot cocoa at Pop's on my way to school, maybe check in with Pop since I haven't after what happened," Melora shrugged unknowingly. "You don't know this, but i'm not a coffee person. I hate it, it's so bitter and disgusting."

"Really? How do you survive?" Sweet Pea joked, taking a sip of the milk he had placed on the table in front of him.

"By imagining i'm drinking the blood of my enemies."

 

🐍🐍🐍

 

Melora bit down on her lip as she closed the front door to her house, hoping she wasn't waking anybody up. At this time, everyone would still be getting ready, or even just waking up. So, if she was lucky, she could avoid having to explain why she didn't come home last night, and where she was this morning. However, she technically still did what her mom said—she was home by morning and was perfectly fine. More than fine, actually.

As Melora reached her bedroom door, a breath of relief escaped her lips. She hadn't run into anybody, so nobody knew anything.

Knowing the oldest sibling, Aldren, he was probably still dead asleep. Pretty much, the only way to wake him was to pour ice cold water on him. No loud noises could possibly get through to him—the entire family has tried everything. Also, he hated being woken up with cold water so it was a win for the younger kids who loved watching him agonize over his sopping wet bed. The second oldest, Skyra, most likely couldn't pick out what to wear, so she would be in her now-messy room sifting through clothes over and over again until she felt satisfied with an outfit. Oliver was probably getting dressed, about to go eat before school. Anique, the baby of the family, loved to hog all of the hot water, so that's where she probably was. And, thankfully, it was easy to avoid Claudia and Richard Fahy because they were in the kitchen and Melora was a very sneaky child. According to her parents, Melora was a good girl, but at the same time, the rebel of the family. It was an odd contradiction, but it was the truth.

Slowly opening her door, Melora internally squealed in victory as she had made it to her room without gaining anybodies attention. At least, she had thought that until she spotted one of her siblings sitting in my twirly chair.

"So, did you sleep with Sweet Pea?" Oliver's voice spoke up from the other end of her room, causing her to jump up in surprise. "Sorry, but if you thought i'd be getting breakfast before my sister did the walk of shame back to our house, you're dead wrong. I'd never miss this moment."

"It's not the walk of shame if you're not shameful," Melora explained, flipping him off. "Get out, I have to change." She paused for a few moments, noting his use of the sibling term. "And you may have just called me your sister, but i'm still disappointed that you don't view us, mostly me, as family. So, get out, Oli."

"I'm sorry, Mel," Oliver sighed. "But for your sake, you may want to shower, too. You smell like sex—but good luck getting any hot water with Anique hogging all of it," he snickered. Melora playfully punched him in the shoulder before she shoved him out of her room. "Wait, but you never actually said if you and Sweet—"

Closing the door behind him, Melora made a show to her brother by locking her door. Turning around, placing her back against the door in exasperation, and facing the totality of her only slightly messy bedroom, she mentally prepared herself for getting ready for school and ignoring everyone else so she could skip the worried rant of her parents. Just in case she wasn't as sneaky as she originally thought.

 

🐍🐍🐍

 

Melora gaped at the outside of Pop's, at the same time shivering to herself as her wet hair made her susceptible to the cold chill of Riverdale. Somebody had spray-painted the outside of the diner with the words 'Death Diner' in black. Technically, they were wrong because no one had died there, but it was obvious that they were nodding towards Fred getting shot by the guy in the black mask—the black hood. Still, it instilled anger inside of Melora. They had no right to do that, to ruin Pop's business even more so than it was already struggling with. She loved this place dearly, and to see it desecrated like that felt like they were destroying her own home.

The girl made her way inside, finding Jughead talking to Pop, clearly as riled up as she was about the graffiti.

"Whoever wrote that better pray I don't find out who they are," Melora growled towards the two, gritting her teeth as she announced her presence—not like she really needed one because of the little bell above the door. "It won't stop us from coming here. It's our place."

"I'm guessing you came here for a hot chocolate, Ms. Fahy?" Pop's saddened expression lightly lifted as he gave her a soft smile, knowing that she got his infamous hot chocolate most days when she simply wanted the day to start off right.

"Yeah, but then I saw the graffiti! No amount of hot chocolate can start the day off right," Melora sighed in defeat. "Everything was going so well, too."

"Oh, Melora," Pop waved her off, his smile growing as he attempted to lift her spirits. "You're getting a hot chocolate, and going to school. You just make sure you stay out of trouble, you hear me?"

"Thank you. And, sorry, Pop, but I can't promise something I can't control."


	9. Chapter 9

"It's another win for the bad guys," Jughead started, shaking his head solemnly as he glanced over at Melora. "No one was there—his entire staff quit. He says he's not sure how long he'll be able to keep the doors open. Maybe not even a week."

"It's because of what happened to my dad—people are freaking out," Archie claimed, "and I gotta be honest, guys. I don't see myself going back there any time soon."

"Wait, i'm sorry, am I hearing acceptance?" Betty cut in, appalled that their friends would let their place die so quickly, just because of some man in a hood who thought he could play God. Melora understood why they didn't want to intervene in something they didn't have to, but Pop's was their place—the reason they were all friends in the first place. It's also where they met Veronica! Without her, they wouldn't be complete. "I'm not letting one psychopath with a gun dictate what happens to our place!"

Still, Melora had to be the voice of reason. She sighed, looking over at her blonde friend. "Betty, I agree with you, I do, but you didn't see what they wrote. It would take either a miracle or bribery to get anybody back there. I go there almost every day because it has meaning to me, but other people just see it as a place to eat. And now, it's just a place where an innocent man was shot and possibly almost killed."

"Jug, you fought like hell to save the drive-in..." Betty reminded him, hoping it would convince him to help her get people to eat at Pop's again. But knowing Jughead, her asking him to add on more fights was ill-needed. Being his girlfriend, she should know that he can't take this on, at least not right now.

"I can't take on any more social issues right now, my hands are full," Jughead replied, talking about his father being in jail and the complications that rose because of that.

"With your dad, of course," Betty nodded, agreeing as if she had never asked him to join her. "And he should be your priority." Jughead sighed, but glanced down at her comforting hand that held his arm. "I'll take point on helping Pop Tate."

"I'll help too, Betty!" Veronica smiled enthusiastically, with a hint of a laugh in there. "Anything to get me away from my parents, i'm in."

"Another B and V team up!" Jughead called aloud, beginning to get up out of his seat. "I should really make a video game about you guys." The group laughed lightly, noticing that he wasn't done speaking yet. "I gotta jet, i'm off to meet my dad's court appointed joke of a lawyer at the Sheriff's station."

"I'm gonna come with you, Jug. I gotta drop some fliers off on Sheriff Keller," Archie stated, starting to pack up his stuff. Veronica kissed her boyfriend goodbye before Jughead and Archie left, leaving the three girls at the table.

"I guess it's just going to be us trying to save Pop's," Melora sighed, pursing her lips. "But, that's okay. We're strong women, right? We can do it. We can do this!"

 

🐍🐍🐍 

 

"So, we're trying to save Pop's from going out of business," Melora ended her rant to Toni, who nodded along as she washed a cup. "Okay, I get that it's kind of stupid, but it's our place. We met Veronica there, and every time I have a bad day, I always get a milkshake to make myself feel better. Or if i'm in the mood for it, I get hot chocolate in the mornings—weirdly enough, a lot of my life revolves around that place."

"What place?" Fangs and Sweet Pea joined in, leaning against the bar. Fangs continued, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "A trailer, perhaps?"

"A trailer? Mmhm, I bet it gets hot in there. Don't they keep in heat?" Oliver questioned aloud, approaching the bar as well. Melora wasn't entirely sure where he came from, but it was kind of annoying that they all knew about her and Sweet Pea's shared night together, and were probably never going to let it go.

"Did you all just wait out there, listening in for the perfect moment to walk in?" Melora questioned them, rolling her eyes as she knew Fangs and Oliver were going to continually hint about her and Sweet Pea having sex in his trailer. "Because that's pretty pathetic."

"Is it, though?" Oliver stretched his lips back, only earning a glare from his sister. "Okay, still mad... can I buy you something—a cookie? Drink? Condom?"

"At least I have the courage to actually buy condoms," Melroa murmured, meeting Toni's curious gaze. "Also, we're both underage and not at a party, so I have no reason to drink."

"What's going on?" Toni questioned, leaning against the bar as she got up into her best friend's face, knowing that she would crack. Melora sent her a weak, cheesy smile, glancing over at Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Oliver, who awaited Toni's reaction to the news. "Oh, is this about you and Sweet Pea messing around in his trailer?"

Melora's face fell. "What? But I didn't even tell—"

"Didn't have to. Sweet Pea came to school all glowing and shit and smelling like you," she snickered. "Gross, but cute. Was I right about submissive Sweet Pea?"

"The more you know about your best friend," Fangs laughed maliciously, crossing his arms as Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. "Hearing that Sweet Pea is more of a submissive when it comes to Melora is so weird to imagine, yet I'm very intrigued to know this information."

"You dominated a gang member..." Oliver whispered incredulously. "Teach me your ways."

"Why, you want to dominate Fangs? I think he'll be much harder to try it on since he now knows what he's expecting," Melora snickered, watching as both Fangs and Oliver's mouth's dropped in shock. "Oh, don't act so surprised. If I was even remotely romantically interested in Fangs, i'd do the same thing."

"Ew, so when you were with Reggie, you..." Oliver gagged, earning another eye roll from his sister. "I still hate that you dated him. I'd literally rather have you screw everyone here."

"Yeah... those are mostly grown men so that's not going to happen," Melora glared at him. "And I regret dating he-who-shouldn't-be-talked-about so let's not bring it up, shall we? It's called sex, it can either lead to a relationship, or nothing at all. Do I know which one Sweet Pea and I will lead to? No. So, you can shove a fork up your ass and leave me and my love life the hell alone."

"Jeez, are you okay?" Oliver questioned.

"I'm still reeling about you not seeing me as your sister, and i'm also trying to figure out how to save Pop's," Melora grumbled. "No one wants to go there because one person got shot. How am I supposed to convince people to come back to Pop's? I can bare it because it's a habit, but other people can't."

"Show people it's not a bad place," Oliver shrugged. "And you're still mad? What do I have to do, fuck Fangs? Because if so..."

"Yeah, like that'll be easy. But, how can I do that?" Melora groaned, placing her head in her folded arms as she tried to think of an idea. "And no, I get where you're coming from about feeling like we're not really family, I truly do, but i'm trying to get over it. It'll take about a week at most, so just... know that you did nothing wrong. I'm just overreacting."

"Host a party?" Toni suggested. "If people go there for a nice celebration, then maybe it'll change their view of Pop's."

"Mmhm... maybe we can pull that off. I love you, Toni!" Melora perked up, leaning over the counter and wrapping her arms around Toni's neck to snatch her into a tight, thankful hug. "You're the best, I owe you."

"Love you, too, girl. But I also want details!" Toni hummed, eyeing Sweet Pea, who crossed his arms in defiance. "Oh, hush... i'm simply curious."

"You want to know how your best friend is in bed?" Melora snickered, knowing she wouldn't want that. "Well, to start off, his hands are such a godsend. They're so fucking huge and really great when he's—"

"—yeah maybe not. Never mind, you just go plan a party, Mel, and forget that I ever said that," Toni awkwardly sucked in her lips. "Good luck, and have fun!"

"Less fun than last night," Oliver interrupted, a big, childish grin playing on his lips. When he noticed that Sweet Pea, Fangs, Toni, and Melora were giving him narrowed expressions, his smile died down.

"Just for you..." Melora lifted herself off of the barstool and playfully rested her head on Oliver's shoulder. "Oh, Sweet Pea... fuck!"

"I take it back, Sweet Melora is cancelled," Oliver cringed, twisting his body away from hers to create as much distance as he could from his sister. "Please, no moaning into my ear. I've lived with you all my life, I don't like hearing you moan."

"Right there, Sweet Pea... right there!" Melora continued, giggling to herself as Oliver pressed his hands over his ears, obviously disgusted. "So, have we learned not to go too far when making pathetic jokes?"

"Probably not," Oliver shrugged. "You know me."

"And you know me, i'll fuck Sweet Pea on your goddamn lap if I need to," Melora countered, feigning a sweet smile. "You don't want to go against me, Ollie."

"But I bet Sweet Pea does!" Oliver immediately burst out of the stool and ran away from the dirty looks the three of them gave him. "Love you, Mel, please don't kill me!"

"Well, next time we're fucking in his bed, that's for sure," Melora grumbled lowly, looking over at Sweet Pea with a twitch of a smile. "Also, next time you see him, you should wear your brass knuckles and scare the shit out of him. He won't say shit after that."


	10. Chapter 10

Melora groaned, yet again finding that nobody had replied to her dozen messages asking about the save-Pop's movement. Shoving her phone into her pocket and letting out a stressed puff of air, she leaned against her locker, teeth grit. She stayed that way for about a minute or so, until she heard the familiar clacking of Veronica's high heels. Perking up, Melora spotted the girl walking down the hallway, about to turn away out of her sight. Pacing to catch up to her beautiful raven haired best friend, Melora placed her hand on Veronica's shoulder to initiate a full conversation. "Hey, Veronica, why hasn't anyone looked at their messages recently? No one is responding to me and I wanted to ask Betty about when we were going to meet up and figure out a way to save Pop's. A friend of mine gave me a pretty good idea, so i'd like to run it by all of you when we all get together."

"Betty didn't tell you?" Veronica furrowed her eyebrows, taken aback. "We met up earlier, and we decided to hold an event at Pop's. Are you sure you didn't know about the meetup? Betty made a group-chat and invited us into it so we would know when and where to meet."

"Well, yeah! I told you guys I was going to help figure out a way to save Pop's. Why does that seem so surprising? I wouldn't lie to you guys, especially when our place is being threatened," Melora huffed lightly, appalled at what she was hearing. "Why would Betty not contact me about the meeting?"

"I asked her if we could wait for you, but she told us that you didn't actually want to help, that you simply wanted brownie points for saying that you were going to help us with Pop's," Veronica informed the hurt girl, her features falling in sorrow. "I'm sorry, if I knew that she was lying... why would she do that to you?"

"I don't know, maybe because she knows that I find her sudden attraction to Jughead odd, and feel that she's only with him to try and get over Archie's rejection," Melora shrugged, not entirely sure if that was why she excluded her, or if there was another reason. Betty was pretty annoyingly dramatic, so the smallest look could set her off—Melora knew that more than others did. "The only reason she knows about it is because I was talking to Kevin about it, and he told her the next day. She wasn't supposed to know, and neither is Jughead. I do love them, I do consider us all friends, but apparently Betty doesn't like me enough to let me help save Pop's—she's so fucking petty, she can't even put away her dislike of me to the side to join in on the save-Pop's movement. How pathetic."

"Wow... I never thought of it that way," Veronica whispered, biting down on her lower lip. "Even if it may be true, and that's why she's mad at you or not, you should try apologizing."

"I'm not going to apologize because I have an inquiry about her relationship. Saving Pop's is about all of us, not her relationship with Jughead, so she needs to drop her bitter attitude and include me in the group," Melora crossed her arms and locked her jaw, unable to believe that Betty would stoop so low as to leave her out of the group meeting for Pop's. "Well, looks like i'm going to be going through you instead of Betty from now on."

"To make it up to you, shall I buy you a milkshake at Pop's?" Veronica smiled lightly, hoping it would make her best friend feel better. "I'll invite Kevin, and maybe you can invite the friend you were talking to earlier about saving Pop's. My treat?"

"I'm not sure you'd be comfortable with them," Melora bit down on her lower lip self consciously. "I mean, she's really sweet, but she's a, uh, she's a South Sider."

"Well, I would love to meet her, then," Veronica smiled. "Anyone else you want to invite? It's still my treat!"

"Well, she does have two attractive best friends that I find really cool," Melora grinned cheekily at her. "And you don't have to pay for all of us. I'm more than capable—"

"—I insist, alright? Text them, and we'll meet at around six, or something?" Veronica suggested. "Or if any time is better for them, that's fine too."

"I'll get back to you on that, then," Melora chuckled, waving goodbye. "Thanks, V. I'm glad to have you as my friend, truly. Without you, we wouldn't be complete. I really mean that."

"Awe, Mel, I love you so much!" Veronica wrapped the girl into a tight hug, her sweet perfume clouding around her—although she didn't mind because the scent was wonderful, and not too strong. "I'll talk to Betty, too, okay? See you and your handsome friends later, encantadora."

 

🐍🐍🐍

 

"Veronica, this is Toni, and her friends Sweet Pea and Fangs," Melora introduced with a big, happy smile. She hadn't known Sweet Pea or Fangs that long, but she definitely knew that she was going to call them her best friends—they weren't at that point yet, but she knew it was inevitable. At least. she hoped it was. "Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs... this is Veronica. She's a Lodge, but I love her like she's my sister."

"So, Kevin will be here soon, we're just waiting on him to get here. In the meantime, I wanted to ask you guys how you know Melora, and if there's any juicy secrets that I don't know about," Veronica teased, bumping Melora's shoulder with hers. Fangs and Toni looked at each other with a knowing look, and Melora herself didn't even have to wonder what they were thinking about. "What... you two are acting like Melora did something naughty."

"Maybe..." Melora shrugged shyly, biting down on her lower lip as she risked a glanced over at Sweet Pea. Trying to hide her own blush, Sweet Pea averted his gaze towards the table, the tiniest of smiles making its way onto his lips.

"Oh my God... you and Sweet Pea?" Veronica gasped lowly, looking between the two in shock. "That's so hot!"

"Hot?" Sweet Pea questioned, giving her a weird look. "Yeah, I guess... but all we did was have sex, we're not together."

"And before you go off about Sweet Pea and I, no, this does not allow you to ask us if we want to become a couple," Melora pointed out to Veronica, who playfully huffed. "Sorry, but I don't want a South Sider to come after me with a knife because she loves Sweet Pea and doesn't want me near him. Haven't heard much about his previous kisses but I'd prefer not to be shanked by some girl who can't handle rejection of a really hot boy."

Fangs scoffed, amused. "Yeah, like that would happen. Normally, Sweet Pea just goes around and has fun, safely, but if i'm being completely honest, something about you two seems much different, much more personally intimate."

"What do you mean?" Melora inquired, squinting her eyes at Sweet Pea and Fangs, unsure of what he was talking about or how Sweet Pea was different with her than anyone else he had ever been with. "Give or take, we've known each other for about a day."

"Yeah, what do you mean? I'm not following," Sweet Pea agreed, looking towards Fangs for clarification.

"We know Sweet Pea, we know how he is and how he works," Toni started, bringing their attention to her. "Let's just say that most of the people who spend the night with Sweet Pea aren't normally there in the morning. Especially for breakfast."

"As in he kicks them out, or they leave?" Melora pondered, feeling awkward as she hadn't even thought of leaving after it was all over. In today's dating scene, that's usually how it worked, and for her not to even think of it... she couldn't help but wonder if she was over-welcoming her stay. She preferred personal relationships to one night stands, but that was her, and not the rest of the world. "Not sure if me staying was a good or a bad thing, then."

"I got to show off my cooking skills, so i'd say it was good," Sweet Pea smiled. "However, I wish I knew you were allergic to eggs before I made them, but my grandmother ate the rest, so it's no big deal."

"Sweet Pea has a grandmother?" Veronica whispered in awe. "Are you sure he's a gang member who could kill me at this moment with the salt-shaker?"

"There's two sides to everyone," Melora informed her with a teasing smirk. "Sweet Pea just probably has his sweet, grandson side, and then his hot South Side Serpent persona to make sure nobody fucks with him or the people he cares about."

"So, if you know so much about my 'sides', what are yours?" Sweet Pea leaned forward, arms crossed as he awaited her answer. However, he didn't even get a chance to respond.

"Oh, so when the Sheriff's son says he's going to meet up with somebody, he means the scumbag Serpents!" Reggie interrupted as he burst into Pop's with an apologetic Kevin. "You didn't tell me you were meeting with lowlifes."

"Well, Reggie, that's because he was already with one," Melora responded bitterly. "Now leave before I tell your boys a secret that you don't want to get out."

"Mmhm... i'd much rather see what two pretty girls like you are doing with South Side Serpents," Reggie shook his head, beginning to make his way over to the booth that the five were sat in. "And to make sure that you're not being held against your will."


	11. Chapter 11

"Held against our will?" Melora scoffed, rolling her eyes as she stood up from the booth and blocked Reggie from Sweet Pea, from he Serpents. Toni was safer, seeing as she was on the inside, and Fangs was slightly less so in the middle, but with Reggie, who knew how far he would go to terrorize the three teenagers. "Do you see Veronica and I bound and gagged? They're here because I invited them, and I am not going to let you paint them as fucking kidnappers because you think you're the shit and, therefore, better than them. I'd prefer their company to yours."

"I've just met them about five minutes ago, but I agree with Mel, Reggie," Veronica mirrored her best friend and crossed her arms, standing between Reggie and the three Serpents. "Leave them alone, and go."

"Leave you here with a couple of Serpents? Who knows what they're going to do!" Reggie exclaimed, shoving Melora to the side considering her body was closest the the start of the booth where the teen snakes sat. Immediately, Sweet Pea sprung to his feet and got up into Reggie's face, growing so angry that the skin on his face slowly evolved into a red tint. Melora had never seen any of the Serpents angry, but she had to admit, knowing that he was reacting to Reggie removing her from her protective stance was incredibly sweet and insanely attractive. "We just don't want South Siders taking our women and making them into whores."

"Taking your women?" Sweet Pea growled, appalled. "Much like you take every small thing that we have? We are not here to 'take your women' we are here to grab a couple of milkshakes, you dumb fleabag. Maybe if you didn't think that everything was about you, you wouldn't come in here acting like you own them."

Pointing towards the door, Veronica demanded, "Reggie, just leave. None of us want you here, and I doubt you're here for food."

"I'll leave... if Sweet Pea here tells me who he fucked last night," Reggie stated, turning to the shocked Serpent expectantly. "Rumor has it that he and a North Sider got it on. I want to know who to avoid so I don't get an STD."

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, knowing he was just trying to get a rise out of him. It was odd to see Sweet Pea show restraint, but considering it was for Veronica and Melora's presence, he opted to simply escalate the fight later, when there was no possibility of the two girls getting caught in the crossfire.

"Who Sweet Pea fucked is none of your goddamn business," Melora snapped, shaking her head in disgust. "Whoever it was wouldn't dare date a dickhead like you, Mantle."

"It was you, wasn't it?" Reggie curled his lip, scoffing under his breath. "I can't believe you really are the whore I thought you were when we dated."

Melora's eyes watered at the comment. Despite how he was being at the moment, he used to actually be a decent-ish boyfriend. He was sweet, made sure no one fucked with her, and even got her a couple of cute, slightly expensive gifts—which she has since then returned. Without thinking, Melora swiped her hand across Reggie's cheek, appalled at the word he had called her. It brought her back towards the end of her relationship with Reggie, and she despised how she was back then. She had taken a vow to change, and bringing herself into that old mindset was... unsettling to say the least.

"You know, I did used to like you, Reggie," Melora grit her teeth as she fought back the memories that threatened to sneak past her mind. "You were sweet to me, were sometimes a bit irritated at the little things, but you never said anything bad to me because I kept you level-headed and collected. The only reason we broke up is because you let your friends change you into a jerk who called his girlfriend fat when she ate junk food during their movie nights, a boyfriend who put his friends over his relationship, and all in all, you became the one person who you knew I hated."

"Mel—"

"So, yeah, I may have slept with Sweet Pea, but at least he didn't get me in bed with him by making me feel like shit, like I could never do better than him," she stopped Reggie short, noting the sad look on his face but choosing to ignore it. "Now you're going to get the fuck out of here because looking at you makes me sick. Thinking about our relationship makes me want to gut my own stomach. So, please, just... get out of here and leave Sweet Pea alone."

"Mel... I..." Reggie whispered, completely taken aback by what she had informed him of. She had never blown up at him until now—when they broke up, she said a couple of things because she was hurt, but it wasn't on this scale. And she's tried to avoid him as best as she could, which worked until he decided to be a dick just now.

"No, you don't get to feel bad about the shit you did to me. However, if you want to make it up, you can leave these three wonderful people, who just happen to be Serpents, alone, and try to be the better man I attempted to help you become before your friends fucked that up."

Reggie opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, unsure if he wanted to have the last words. With a bare whisper, Reggie dared to look into Melora's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mel. I never realized how much I really hurt you." With that said, him and his friends left, surprisingly silent.

"Melora..." Veronica placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, a sorrowful expression appearing on her face. "Are you alright?"

"No, but a milkshake would really help. If I was holding one while I was defending myself, there would, no doubt, be a milkshake sliding down Reggie's face," Melora laughed lightly. "I don't think any of you are going to let go what I said to Reggie, are you?"

"You dated that asshole?" Toni gawked at Melora, unable to believe it. "No wonder you're so bad ass and hard now—you're post-breakup and proving you're better than him."

"Well, after he hurt me, it took me awhile to realize that he was wrong, and I decided that I wouldn't let anybody talk to me like that again, and even though it hurt, I'm glad it happened because if I didn't change myself for the better, I'd probably be more like him and think that you guys were horrible people," Melora sighed. "I'd be everything I hated. So, much like you told me, Sweet Pea, we have changing ourselves for the better in common."

"That slap was iconic," Kevin stated aloud, wrapping his arms around Melora's waist to give her a hug. "And I'm sorry I lead them here—they wouldn't leave me alone. I couldn't shake them, either."

"It's okay, Kevin. It ended much better than when you told Betty that I didn't like her and Jughead together," Melora teased lightly, pulling away from the hug. "Still, it was nice to get that off my chest. I've just held my tongue until now."

"Well, it was incredibly bad-ass," Kevin chuckled. "Now onto a much more interesting piece of information... you had sex with Sweet Pea?"

"I'm gonna need a milkshake and fries before I go into this again."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Ethel Muggs snatched Melora's arm hastily, her dark brown eyes silently begging for the girl's help as she pulled her into the janitor's closet. Out of everybody in Riverdale High, she trusted her the most because Melora didn't judge, and instead of waving her off to deal with her own problems, she would actually try to help unlike a lot of people who simply saw Ethel as the weird nerdy girl who desperately tried to become cool. Melora's comforting aura was exactly what Ethel needed, which is exactly why she spooked the girl to bring her into a private, safe place where she could ask for Melora's advice peacefully.

"Whoa, hey, what's the matter?" Melora asked, soothingly rubbing her thumb across the soft skin of the girl's hand. "Calm down, Ethel... just tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong, exactly," Ethel brought her hands back to her own body, almost cradling herself. "It's just... you're pansexual, right? You're out and proud and you know who you are?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess," Melora chuckled lightly. "Why, are you having some sexuality problems? No matter what it is, though, I'm here to listen and help in any way that I can."

"I've dated a couple of jocks—as you've probably heard—and every single time it's been a way for them to make fun of me behind my back. I said I was done with them, but... there's this girl, Stacey..."

"Ooh, a girl?" Melora perked up, a grin growing on her lips. "Tell me more about her."

Everybody knew that Ethel was a sweet girl, but she was also gullible, and insecure, yet incredibly loving and thoughtful—it was one of the reasons why Melora was friends with her. Of course, they weren't as close as she was to Toni and Veronica, but if she ever needed a shoulder to lean on, Melora would be there.

"Stacey's a cheerleader. She's about as shy as me, but she has this beautiful determination that makes me want to be as confident as she is. Something about her makes my heart lurch forward and she becomes stuck in my head—her voice is like a beautiful melody replaying in my head constantly," Ethel let out a small, dreamy sigh. "But my problem is that I don't know if what I am feeling is idolizing her because she's pretty, and smart, and popular, or if I like her as more than just a friend. What do I do, Melora?"

Melora cooed at the girl, chuckling at how similar their struggles are. "Ethel, if you're questioning your sexuality, you simply need to explore yourself, your interests. That's the fun in all of it."

"Fun? It's stressful, and I don't want to be wrong about anything!" Ethel cried. "Please, help me figure this out."

"The thing is, I can't, really," Melora gave the girl a sympathetic smile, rubbing her arm in a soothing manner. "When I was in the position you're in now, I would look at women and compliment her in a romantic way, but would pass it off as point out what men would find attractive in her—but it was all me, my feelings."

"I look at other girls and see what I wish I looked like," Ethel sent Melora a sad smile. "But, why can't you help me? I really thought that you of all people would be able to help."

"Ethel, I can't help you because it has to be you who figures yourself out," Melora sighed, squeezing her shoulder supportively. "Go out and have some fun—kiss a girl, kiss a guy, see how it makes you feel. Explore yourself, Ethel!"

"Who would want to kiss me?" Ethel mumbled lowly. "And I can't ask Stacey because what if I'm seeing all of the signs wrong, what if I ruin our friendship? I would hate myself."

"Well, do you want to kiss me?" Melora offered with a weak smile. "We can kiss, see how you feel about kissing another female, and leave it at that. Like I said, it's all about experimenting with your feelings."

"That's, uh, way too weird for me," Ethel dismissed with a shake of her head. "Thank you, though... I'm sorry for doubting your ability to help me. I'm just frustrated because I've been dealing with these thoughts for awhile now, and the idea of the one person who actually talks to me like a human being and not some nerdy girl being unable to help me was just devastating."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but that's all I can really do," Melora sighed, shrugging. "You just have to figure it out yourself and surround yourself with as many friends as you can for support. The process will be a bit awkward, a bit weird, but trust me, it's worth it. Knowing who you are, and who you like. It's... freeing."

Melora's phone buzzed ferociously in her pocket, almost as if it had brought her back to reality in some way. Sending Ethel an apologetic smile, she reached in and took a look at the text Jughead had sent.

Veronica needs some emotional help that I'm not sure I can handle myself. Mind joining me for old times sake, Mel?

"Veronica needs me. Uh, are you going to be alright, Ethel?" Melora asked, wanting to make sure that the girl would be alright without her. 

"Yeah, of course," Ethel responded with a nod. "Give her a hug for me? I'm going to go meet up with Stacey for lunch—I hope Veronica feels better. Bye, Melora, thank you so much!"

Seeing the automatic smile approach her lips, Melora could tell that Ethel deeply cared for and liked this girl, and whoever she was, was lucky to attain Ethel Muggs' affection. With the girl's permission to leave the confidential and personal conversation, Melora began to backtrack out of the janitor's closet, although cursing lowly to myself as she ran directly into another student as she backed out of the small room.

She didn't have to figure out who it was as a familiar voice apologized, "God, i'm so sorry." Jughead's expression showed just how bad he felt for not watching where he was going. Although, it was obviously more Melora's fault than his seeing as she was going backwards. Still, the girl was slightly caught off guard. "Sorry, Mel, I didn't see you there."

"That's okay," Melora waved it off, laughing lightly. "I was coming to join you in comforting Veronica."

"Oh. I was coming to look for you—I figured she'd rather have us both than an awkward small talk to wait for you," Jughead sucked his lips into a straight line. "Shall we go to Veronica and make that beautiful, raven-haired princess feel better together?"

Jughead lead Melora to where he had found her the first time, where she was slumped over and obsessively checking her phone with a sullen look on her face. It made Melora feel for her.

"After you, Jughead."

Accepting Melora's invitation, Jughead stepped into the room, carving the way to comforting their mutual friend. "I don't have red hair, or broad shoulders, or a blonde ponytail, for that matter..." he opened up a tiny white box, which, of course because he was Jughead Jones, lover of food, had something to snack on in it. "Do you wanna talk?"

"We're both here for you," Melora piped up, scooting past Jughead to sit down beside Veronica on the edge of the chair, rubbing her back in a soothing manner. Jughead placed himself on the stool in front of her, knowing she was about to tell them her problems.

"Jughead, you were ready to walk away from your dad. And now, you're crusading for his freedom... what changed?" Veronica asked him, looking up at him almost as if she was pleading for an answer. It was clear to anyone that she was having her own problems with her father, although Melora had to find out that Hiram Lodge had bought Pop's from Veronica over the phone, so it was understandable why she was upset with him.

Simply, Jughead replied, "he did. He made an effort. Took another swing at being a good dad."

"But, don't you think that some people can't change?" Veronica inquired sullenly. "Like, it's just in their DNA to be bad?"

Jughead took a moment to think about his next words carefully—he was so into it that he didn't even take a bite of the snack he was munching on. "I'm not gonna presume to know what lies in your father's heart. But Archie's dad almost died. And my dad is going away for twenty years. If there's even a point zero-zero-zero-one percent chance that your dad is trying—"

"I get it," Veronica interrupted him, knowing what he was getting at. "Thank you, Jughead."

"I know I couldn't be of much help on this certain topic, but I wanted to say that i'm sorry, and i'm giving you a hug not just from myself, but from Ethel, too," Melora wound her arms around Veronica's shoulders and gave the girl a squeeze, closing her eyes as she breathed in her royal, delightful perfume. "We'll get through this, Ronnie."

"Thanks, Mel," Veronica smiled lightly at the gesture, embracing the hug. "Get in here, Jughead."

"I'm not much of a hugger," Jughead exclaimed, placing his hands up in surrender. "I'm better with words."

"Clearly, but what could possibly top you, Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third, showing me actual affection and giving me a hug?" Veronica cocked an eyebrow teasingly. "Nothing."

"Alright, fine... but tell anyone and there will be hell to pay."

"Yeah, yeah, Jones. Just get in here and give us a hug."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

After somewhat helping Veronica, Melora decided to go check up on Cheryl to see how the trial went. She hadn't heard anything from Betty or Jughead, so she wasn't sure what had happened. But she did hear that people were shocked. So, not only was she going to check up on another friend in need, but she could also figure out what the hell people were talking about. After sending Cheryl a text, she realized that she was only going to be able to talk to her at Pop's, before the party that Betty, without her help, decided to throw.

Climbing into the cherry red car of hers that was parked behind Pop's, Cheryl turned to Melora now that they were finally alone, someplace private. It actually frightened her because if Cheryl, the girl who loved drama and didn't care who heard what, was trying to keep this one the down-low... what could have possibly happened at the hearing? "I was really surprised when you asked me how I was doing, Mel."

"Surprised?" Melora drew her eyebrows together, rattled at the idea that because other people wouldn't care to check up on Cheryl, she probably thought that it was odd for Melora to care about her, even if they considered each other great friends. "I care for you, Cheryl, and I know the trial was today. I don't know what happened, but apparently it was shocking."

"That's because I forgave FP Jones for covering up my brother's murder... and my father made him do it," Cheryl explained with a hint of sigh behind her words. Her brown eyes glanced up to see the girl's reaction, which, ultimately, was just as everybody else had said their's were: shocked. "And you're asking me why I lied, right?" Only nodding in response, Cheryl continued. "Before the trial, I was in the girl's locker room getting dressed when Betty came in. The night before, her and Jughead came to the house asking if my dearest mummy and I could forgive FP and lower his sentence, but after what he put us through, I wouldn't want to let him get off easy. He hid my brother's body... he doesn't deserve a lenient sentence. So, of course we disagreed."

"Oh, please tell me you didn't meet bitchy-Betty, too." Melora sent the Blossom girl a sympathetic look as she nodded lightly. Betty wasn't the same Betty that she used to be, she used to actually be sweet and caring and kind, but now she was just a plain bitch who only cared about herself and Jughead. Everyone else could go screw themselves—it was one of the multiple reasons why Melora didn't like Betty and Jughead together. They were way too dependent on one another, so much so where it was co-dependent, toxic, and they were becoming less of themselves. "God, i'm so sorry, Cheryl... Betty's been horrible recently, and I'm have a clue as to why—I think it's because she's trying to appease Jughead, or something. It's weird and totally out of character for her, but she's too involved into her relationship for us to do anything about it. She’ll just have to learn in the long run that they’re not good for each other... What did she do, exactly?"

"She threatened me. She said that I will lie on the stand and make sure that FP gets a lighter sentence, or else she would release the video of my father shooting Jason to the entire world," Cheryl whimpered, her voice cracking as she slowly broke down. Her head rested against Melora's shoulder, her tears lightly darkening her outfit for Pop's later. But she didn't care—Cheryl was much more important than some stupid uniform that would quickly dry. "She told me, 'try having closure with that out in the world' and then after I commented about how I thought she gave the thumb drive to Sheriff Keller and deleted it, she let me know about her copy on Jughead's laptop."

"Maybe I'll see if I can find it," Melora offered her, even though what Betty had forced her to do had already been done. "If I do, I can delete it and make sure it's gone."

Cheryl shook her head, bringing her head up to wipe her eyes, trying to act as if she hadn't cried over Betty's threat. "No, after she made it out to be a good thing by claiming Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Second as an innocent man, I made her a deal that if I did as she asked, she would give me the video and a guarantee that any and all other copies in her possession are erased."

"And... you trust Betty?” Melora let out a small laugh of disbelief, sending her a weird look, knowing that if she could threaten and blackmail Cheryl, she would most definitely keep a copy of that video, just in case. She was an amateur sleuth, and having a video of the murder itself probably is what she got her rocks off to.

"Definitely not, but I refuse to drag you into this and get you into trouble. So, please, don't intervene," Cheryl pleaded. "You're one of the only people who's actually stuck by me after everything that's happened. You, and Veronica."

"Cheryl..."

"Please."

"Alright, fine... do you want to go inside and get a milkshake? My treat,” Melora gave her a big, cheesy grin, hoping to lift up her spirits. Thankfully, it seemed to do the trick as she sent her one back, turning off the car. "I'm going to guess strawberry?"

"Pinks and reds are my signature looks," Cheryl responded, checking herself out in the rear-view mirror before she stepped out and met up with Melora by the hood of the car, linking their arms together. "I have to meet up with Josie and the Pussycats. Meet me inside?"

"Yeah, sure... but you owe me a plate of fries, and you're sharing it with me."

Cheryl let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine. I'll have a few, even though fries are too salty, and quite frankly unhealthy and gross."

"Okay, attack me, not the fries. They've done nothing wrong,” Melora joked. "See you in a little bit, Cheryl. Just tell me when to order your milkshake."

"Ditto with the fries."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

"Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs, i'm glad you could make it!” Melora squealed in excitement as she wrapped her arms around Toni's neck. She figured that Sweet Pea would despise her entire being if she made him show public affection, so instead of hugging the boy she really wanted to, she turned to Fangs after and gave him a small squeeze, and simply left it at that. "What'll you have?"

“I don’t know about Topaz and Fogarty, but I'll have my hug," Sweet Pea crossed his arms as a quick show of hurt flashed over his features. "What, because we slept together, I don't get a hug? Didn’t take you for a stone cold beauty, Melora."

"Oh, i'm sorry..." Melora murmured, blinking rapidly as she processed that her automatically assuming he wasn’t the type to show public affection was wrong, and she almost choked on her own saliva after the realization that she had stereotyped him had set in. She hated being like that, and sometimes she just couldn't help it considering it was engrained into her because of her childhood and society as a whole, but seeing how he reacted, it made her feel absolutely terrible. "I just thought..."

"That I wouldn't want to be seen as some cute, cuddle-y South Side Serpent?" Sweet Pea murmured as he brought Melora into his body. Instantly, she melted into his skin, reveling in the feeling of his hands as they wrapped around her sides, and his head dug into her neck. She was surprised how great at hugging he was—he hugged with his whole body, cradling her as if he was protecting her, and she loved the feeling he radiated. Sweet Pea leaned back to look at the girl and grinned, seeming to know exactly how much he was messing with her head. "Think again, Lora. I'm much different than you think. Maybe next time instead of taking off my shirt, try taking off my protective barriers, instead."

Playfully shoving him away, Melora teasingly growled, "you're an ass, Sweet Pea."

"Hey, you're the one stereotyping me," he poked his tongue out at her, earning an over-exaggerated eye roll.

"But, I do apologize, really,” Melora sighed, resting her head on his bicep as she watched people sit in booths drinking milkshakes, enjoying themselves, enjoying Pop's for what may be the last time. Hopefully, it wouldn't be, but you never know. If this party, that Melora was still angry at Betty for excluding her from helping, worked, then Pop’s may just be as lively as it is right now. "I'll make it up later... after we talk about feelings and shit, yeah?"

"Yeah, we're cool, Lora," Sweet Pea chuckled.

Hearing the bell ring, Melora curiously looked around Sweet Pea’s body to see who had come into Pop’s—she had expected happy people waiting to eat, but instead saw Josie and the Pussycats, minus Valerie with Cheryl trailing behind them. They were fast, and clearly had a bone to pick with Betty as they went directly over to her.

"Uh... find a booth, and i'll be right back, okay? I'm going to make sure a cat fight doesn't break out." Melora sent the trio a sympathetic smile before pacing her way over to Josie, Melody, Cheryl, and Betty, just barely catching the end of Josie's wrath.

"—the Pussycats would be doing a free concert here tonight?" Josie asked Betty, heated. Even without having the first part of the rant, clearly Betty did another shitty thing: she must have told everyone about the Pussycats performing at Pop's for free, when obviously she hadn't asked, or realized that the Pussycats don't perform without pay.

Betty didn't even look apologetic as she explained herself. "I knew that if i asked you, you would have said—"

"No!" Josie exclaimed, finishing what Betty already knew. Betty nodded to herself, murmuring an "mhm-mhm" as Josie continued. "If my mom even hears that I set foot in this place—"

"Josie, you care about this place, I know you do, I see you in here all the time!" Betty persisted, trying to persuade her into doing exactly what she wanted.

"Betty, even if I wanted to help, i'm down a cat," Josie stated. "Valerie has a norovirus—"

"I don't mind stepping in," Cheryl interrupted, giving Josie a generous smile. "After all, if you can be a River Vixen, Josie, I can be a Pussycat." Josie gave Cheryl a look of disbelief. "As long as it's a cover, I'm sure i'll know the lyrics."

"I mean, you do love your cheese fries, Josie..." Melody encouraged.

Betty, realizing that Josie was close to giving in, leaned towards her in anticipation, a knowing smile on her face. As Josie let out a large huff of air and a "fine, fine," Betty's smile brightened.

Josie, Melody, and Cheryl left, leaving Melora alone with Betty. Melora slowly turned towards her, arms crossed as she gave her an intense look of disapproval. "Betty, that was awful. You can't just not ask them to come, and then say they'll perform for free! You need to ask permission first. Yeah, it would help having Josie and the Pussycats perform here, but you shouldn't use people like that. It's horrible."

"You say i'm using Josie, but you're hanging with Serpents?" Betty mirrored the girl's crossed arms, her eyebrows arching as if she knew the exact reason why she was with them, which she obviously didn't. To emphasize her comeback, she leaned to the side and eyed the Serpents who had found a booth behind her. "Why are you copying Jughead?"

"Copying Jughead?” Melora let out a loud laugh, throwing her head back in amusement. "If I wanted to copy him, i'd just jump into a relationship simply because someone finds me the least bit attractive, and then cling to them like my life depended on it. I'm not here to copy Jughead, i'm simply friends with them. Is that so wrong?"

Knowing that Melora had the potential to be there all night fighting with Betty over petty nothings, Melora swiftly turned away and made her way back to Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea. "What milkshakes do you want, because soon Josie and the Pussycats, and Cheryl, are going to sing outside and we can't miss that."

"What was up with you and Betty?" Fangs narrowed his eyes curiously, tilting his head to the side as he awaited an answer. "After they left, you seemed to almost get into a fight with her by yourself. Trying to stop a fight, or start one?"

"With Betty, it can be both at the same time," Melora mumbled in annoyance, rolling her eyes. "It's nothing, she just thinks i'm trying to be like Jughead because she saw me with you guys."

"You... being like Jughead? That's funny," Sweet Pea chuckled humorlessly. "You're anything but."

"I'm glad you think that. So... milkshakes to take outside? If we miss this, we miss the greatest voices in Riverdale, so I will probably kill you."

"Sounds like you have a girl crush on one of them," Toni snickered. "Is it the redhead? She's pretty cute."

"The redhead? That's my friend, Cheryl," Melora smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. "She is cute, but i'm not sure if she's into girl's or not, so good luck, Toni."

"All the cute ones are straight," Toni mumbled in disappointed. "But, I have hope. Something about her is definitely not as straight as she gives off."

"It's good to be pansexual, because boys and girls alike are hot," Melora teased, blowing Toni a playful a kiss. "So... let's go—"

"Melora, the Pussycats are about to perform on top of Pop's!” Melora's youngest sister, Anique, exclaimed, frightening Melora as she showed up out of nowhere to grab her sister's hand in excitement and ignoring the Serpents while she led her towards the door. "Come on, come on, come on!"

"Whoa, slow down, Annie,” Melora took her arm back and gestured towards the three Serpents. "I'm with my friends, let me get them a shake first. We'll be out there soon."

"We just arrived. Maybe you should introduce your cute friends to mom and dad," Anique glanced at Fangs, who let out an awkward, doesn’t-know-how-to-react chuckle.

"These three? Off limits,” Melora crossed her arms at Anique. "Tell that to Skyra and Aldren, too. Anybody touches these three and I will serve your severed fingers to mom and dad during dinner."

"We're out by the car, so come and find us after you get your cute friends some milkshakes, alright?" Anique didn't even wait for a solid answer before she zipped back out of the shoppe.

"Your sister is... probably high on candy, or something," Sweet Pea spoke, the four laughing at how she was acting, and how true his statement probably was. "Early celebration, maybe."

"Probably. Let's hurry up and get those drinks before she drags me out to sing as an embarrassment, or something."

Sweet Pea challenged, “oh, I would love to see that."

"I bet you would, but I am not going to try and take away the Pussycat's spotlight, so maybe you can hear me sing some other time,” Melora told him, puckering her lips in a teasing manner, yet oddly in a thoughtful way. Then, she turned her head to shout out to Pop that she had an order coming. "Pop! I’m going to need four milkshakes in total..."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Melora unconsciously bit down on her lip as she approached her large family, unsure how her mother and father will react to her Serpent friends. Claudia had met Toni a couple of times before, but Sweet Pea and Fangs were much different than Toni, and Melora was afraid that her parents wouldn’t like her new friends. "Mother, father, hi, i'm so glad you guys could make it! These are my friends, Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea."

"Sweet Pea?" Richard eyed the boy—from the small narrow twitch of his eyes, she could already tell that her father wasn't fond of him. "What an... odd name."

"Father, behave,” Melora growled lowly, her jaw locking in embarrassment as she sent him a small glare.

"It's okay, Lora... i'm used to North Sider's not liking me," Sweet Pea reassured the girl with a smile, the back of his hand grazing hers as a show of his true feelings. Melora looked at him, and then their hands, and he seemed to get what she was thinking as the two linked their fingers together, holding hands as if they were an official couple. "Especially fathers."

"Sweet Pea and I are dating, dad, and you can't do anything about that," Melora shrugged him off, ignoring the eye roll of her oldest sibling, Aldren. "Just because he is a Serpent, and a person of romantic interest, doesn't qualify you to judge him based on that, father."

"He's a gang member," Aldren deadpanned. "Dangerous, will only protect himself, and broke."

"We're broke because assholes like you think you can waltz into the South Side and take whatever you want," Sweet Pea began to take a step towards Aldren, but after a worried squeez from Melora's hand, he seemed to force himself to cool down, not escalate anything—the last thing anybody, including Pop’s, needed was for a fight to break out between a North and a South Sider. "Fangs has five sisters, and one brother, and they're barely scraping by while you whine and cry over a misplaced phone, which you then buy five more just because you feel like it."

Melora blinked a couple of times at the information he had revealed: Fangs had a big family, the same amount of people as hers did, but he didn't have her parent's kind of income. His family probably had to prolong leftovers as much as they possibly could, the oldest siblings barely eating anything to make sure the younger siblings had more to eat. She hated envisioning it, but she knew that she was going to do something about it.

"Seven? If you're broke, then just stop having children," Aldren replied snobbishly. Melora's hand slipped away from Sweet Pea's, and her jaw tightened as she took a daring, challenging step towards her brother. He wasn't sure why his sister was so angry, why she was acting like she was going to fight him. She knew she had kept Sweet Pea from starting anything, but Aldren wasn’t going to stop until… well… until he was forced to stop. And, besides… a fight between siblings is much more common and normal than a North and South Sider. "Melora, are you seriously going to side with South Side scum—"

His sentence was just barely cut short as Melora brought her fist up and collided her knuckles into the side of his mouth. Before the rest of Melora’s family could react and get him away from her, she grabbed a fist full of his shirt and forced him to the ground. Splayed on his back, Melora folded his arms across his chest before she knelt on top of him—the position kept him still, and made it harder for him to breathe with so much pressure to his chest. With her free hands, she dug through his pockets for Aldren’s wallet.

"Melora, get the fuck off of me! How are you so strong?" Aldren shouted, attempting to squirm. His breathing became heavy, and he knew he was tiring out quickly. Thankfully, the song had ended most of the people had either left or gone back inside, so fortunately, no one would really intervene. Melora's family had never seen her react so violently, so they weren't really sure how to engage, especially safely. "I swear to God, Mel..."

"You're being a douchebag, so i'll tell you what. However much you have in your wallet, i'm giving half of it to Fangs."

"You're what now," Fangs stuck his head out, eyes widened. "Melora, you don't—"

"Are you fucking kidding me? Give him your money, not mine!” Aldren, despite his shallow breathing, still continued to fight his sister. She figured it was time to let him so, though, so no permanent damage hurt him that much; she kept an eye out for his movements to dodge his quick attacks once he had gotten up. "You have money, too. Give him that."

"I will... but you were being a dick to them, and dad gives you more money than us because you're the oldest,” Melroa smiled bitter-sweetly at him, finding that he about six hundred stuffed into his wallet. Taking out three hundred of it, she slammed it into Fangs' chest. "Now, run!"

Without even a thought, the four, which suddenly became six as Oliver and Anique trailed behind the Serpents and Melora, bolted it back into Pop's, laughing in shock as they reached the safety of the public eye. Melora knew her parents were angry, but they didn't want to start a much larger scene, so they would wait until she got home to yell at her and punish her. But, she didn't care—helping Fangs and his family was much more important to her than losing her cell phone privileges, or whatever the punishment may be.

"Melora, you didn't have to do that," Fangs gaped at the girl, appalled. "Your brother's going to have it out for me."

"No, I did it, so he'll hate me, instead," Melora chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, the most they'll do is make me re-pay him for it, but I can just bat my eyelashes at daddy and get some more after, or something. I might not be able to leave the house, but like Aldren said... i'm a rebel."

"God, do you realize how pathetic that sounded?" Anique questioned. "You're a rebel because mom and dad favor Oliver and Aldren, and you want to act out and get their attention."

"If you're going to call me out on shit that's not true, leave,” Melora waved off her younger sister, rolling her eyes as she turned towards her panting, exhilarated Serpent friends. "I didn't know you had such a big family, Fangs. Obviously, we do, too, but we have a shit ton of money. We don't really have to worry about when we'll eat next, or anything like that. Imagining how you live, is, no offense, really worrying and terrifying."

"Most of the time, I go to Sweet Pea's and eat there so that my parents don't have to worry about feeding me," Fangs shrugged. "It's nice, though, because Lily is the greatest cook I have ever known."

"Before I awe at Sweet Pea living with his grandmother, I also want to cry for Fangs because he literally doesn't eat so his siblings can," Anique whimpered, quickly wrapping said boy into a large hug. He jumped in surprised, but welcomed it soon after. "I can't imagine."

"Wow, we're rich assholes," Oliver whispered in horror. "I'm selling everything I personally own."

"I like this side of your family... the ones that are literally trying to give us money," Sweet Pea teased with a smirk. "Aldren can go suck my fucking front tire, though."

"Aldren's always been that way," Oliver rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I may be dad's favorite, but Aldren is babied so much that he gets anything he possibly wants. What Sweet Pea said about losing a phone and buying five more just because he has the money to is basically Aldren in a nutshell. He also feels like we're superior because we have money, which is stupid..."

"Enough about Aldren, okay? Let's just... get back to helping Pop's and have a great time," Melora persisted, turning towards Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah," Toni smiled, draping her arm over her best friend's shoulders, and attempting to do the same with Sweet Pea. He had to bend down in order for her to do just that, which made everyone laugh. "Let's go back to our booth."

"Oh, I still need to find Cheryl and remind her that she owes me a plate of fries, and then I need to say hi to Midge before we leave,” Melora stated aloud, the last part mostly to herself. "And then we can just... relax. Finally."

"After you punched our brother in the face, and then stole his money? How can you relax knowing he's going to get back at you?" Anique asked, biting the inside of her cheek curiously. "Remember when I lost my phone, so I used his to call mine and he freaked out because I knew his password? He input my password wrong too many times until I had to wait a whole day to plug it into iTunes."

"If he goes after Fangs, or his family, i'll threaten to become a part of the Serpents, and our parents will beg Aldren to let it go, probably," Melora shrugged unknowingly. "Whatever it is, i'll deal with it."

"Thank you, by the way," Fangs spoke up softly. "No one's ever punched their brother and stole his money for me. I appreciate it, and I know my family will, too."

Anique perked up. "So... after this is over, can we—"

"No, there is no we. You can stay right now because Aldren is definitely seething, but you gotta go home when they do, alright?” Melora cut Anique off as her face fell. "These are my friends, not yours. You even hit on Fangs earlier, and that was incredibly weird."

"To be fair... have you seen him?" she glanced over at him a couple of times, as if he couldn't see her motioning towards him.

"No, but she has seen Sweet Pea," Oliver wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. When they all looked at him with no emotion on their faces, almost as if anything he said would invoke an annoyed expression, he immediately stopped. "Jesus, alright... I get it. I'm not wanted here. But, how pissed do you think Aldren would be if I went back and stole more money from him?"

"He'd literally kill you," Anique stated bluntly. "Don't do it..."

"Your family has come back in," Toni pointed out, eyeing the door as they all took a seat in their previous booth. "And... so is Tall Boy? I didn't think he'd come here."

"Serpents are full of surprises today, huh? First, Sweet Pea and his open, sappy behavior, then Fangs' family reveal, and now Tall Boy? You guys just keep finding more and more ways to shock me."

"Oh, wait until Toni Tells you about how she first met Fangs... it's the funniest story!"


	16. Chapter Sixteen

"I gotta put them on the spot; it's thanks to these young ladies here that Pop's gets to stay open tonight, tomorrow—as long as you folks keep coming!" Pop motioned towards Betty, Veronica, and Melora before he started clapping, inviting everybody else to join in. Pop waited for a couple of seconds before continuing his speech. "Thanks, also, to the Lodge family for a donation they just made that gives us a little cushion to weather any storm that might come up!" Once again, the applause roared from around the room. Now, it was official. Pop's wasn't going anywhere.

Melora turned around to go back to the booth with her friends and siblings, but stopped once Pop Tate had lightly tapped on the young girl's shoulder. "Yeah, Pop?"

Pop welcomed her with a smile, the one he wore while announcing the saving of the diner. "Miss Fahy, I was told that Miss Blossom owed you a delicious plate of fries. And thanks to your help with making sure the diner stayed in business, I added in a couple of to-go hot chocolate's for you and your friends"

"Aw, Pop... thank you!” Melora wound her arms around the big, lovable man in a tight hug, glad that this party—despite being shoved to the side by Betty—had actually worked, that people weren't afraid to come to the diner anymore. Now, Pop wouldn't have to lose his family's dream. "Hey, could you give that Serpent over there in that booth a vanilla milkshake, and tell him it's from me?” Melora pointed towards Tall Boy, hoping he wouldn't see her showing Pop who he was. She laid a five dollar bill down on the table, cocking an eyebrow in wonder.

"Sure, Melora," Pop chuckled, his gaze shifting over towards Sweet Pea. "And, you do know that that boy over there, the tall one you've been with all night, he's been giving you heart eyes ever since you greeted him, right?" Pop whispered with a wink. "Just wanted to let you know..."

A giggle escaped Melora's lips as she thought about Sweet Pea—this whole night she had been trying to make it great for everybody, but finding out that she was missing something that was right in front of her face? The blush that invaded her cheeks at the thought was something that she couldn't hide no matter how hard she tired; she hoped none of her friends or siblings in the booth were watching her. "Thanks, Pop."

"No problem, Miss Fahy."

As Melora made her way over towards Toni, Fangs, Sweet Pea, Oliver, and Anique, she couldn't help but notice the death stare from Aldren from the corner of the diner. When the rest of her family had passed their booth, she had no idea, but she simply ignored it and slipped into the seat besides Anique and Sweet Pea with the tray of hot cocoa and a big, generous smile. "Who wants some of Pop Tate's infamous hot chocolate, and wants to share my fries?"

"I'll have a fry," Anique immediately popped one into her mouth, chewed on it for a couple of seconds, then looked at her sister with this sly, knowing smile. Before Melora could ask her why she was looking at her like that, she spoke, "so... what did Pop Tate have to say that made you giggle and blush like a school girl?"

Dammit, so much for hoping no one saw, Melora growled in her head. "What? Nothing. I was thanking him for giving us these for free—"

"He talked about Sweet Pea giving you love-y dove-y eyes all night, huh?" Toni mirrored Anique's actions, smirking as she nibbled on a fry. "He talked to me earlier about Sweet Pea—thinks he's absolutely taken with you."

Looking over at Sweet Pea to see his reaction to the news of him apparently being caught in the act, he attempted to look down at his lap, trying to hide the tiny smile that pulled at his lips and the light red brightening up his cheeks. “He—He saw that?"

"Sweet Pea... is shy when it comes to girls?" Oliver gasped lowly under his breath, shocked. "I figured Fangs to be, like, really sweet and soft spoken, but apparently that's the opposite—wait, does that mean Fangs is a hardcore flirt?"

"I don't know, why don't you find out?" Fangs playfully wiggled his eyebrows before he winked and puckered his lips at my brother. Once he was done teasing him, he patted his best friend on the shoulder while looking at Melora. "Yeah, Sweet Pea is a total dork when it comes to flirting. He thinks it wasn't obvious that he was watching you with complete adoration, but I could see it from a hundred miles away."

"I get it," Sweet Pea cleared his throat, grumbling lowly. “Can we not bring attention to it, though? If it’s not reciprocated, I’d rather be able to hide my embarrassment somewhere private.”

Melora leaned into him with a soft, twitch of a smile. Resting her head on his shoulder, she let out a small sigh. "I think it's very cute, Sweet Pea. And definitely reciprocated, okay? Stop trying to act as if anybody liking you—genuinely liking you—could never happen, because I like you. Sweet Pea, I like you."

"Hey, Toni... could we go to your place and borrow your dad's truck tomorrow? With this stolen money, I could ease my father's worries about groceries," Fangs began to slide out of the booth. "Actually, you know what, let's just do it now. You know... without Sweet Pea. Or Melora."

"Dude, just say 'let's scram' and duck out," Toni laughed, turning around to look at Sweet Pea and Melora awkwardly. "But, first..." The pink haired girl leaned behind her best friend and remotely placed Sweet Pea's arm over her shoulder, both of them turning red in the face as their friends quite literally set them up. "And she's already leaning her head on his shoulder, so now it's perfect."

"I hate you guys," Sweet Pea murmured, yet he didn't take his arm off, which Melora couldn't help but laugh gently to herself at. "This is so embarrassing. People are watching us."

"Yeah, so? Have fun, you two," Toni winked, snatching up her and Fangs' hot cocoa, handing his to him, and then walking off.

"Uh... let's go calm Aldren down, smother him in sibling love until he cools off," Oliver dragged Anique away, leaving Sweet Pea and their sister completely alone.

It was weird. In front of them, Melora showed herself as confident, uncaring if she shamelessly flirted with Sweet Pea, but now, suddenly she was all too aware of what she was saying, how she was acting. She wasn’t sure if she liked the strange effect that Sweet Pea inevitably had on her, but for now alls he was going to do was enjoy this moment alone with him.

"I guess we're doing our intimate bonding now, huh?" Sweet Pea chuckled, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "Damn... this is fucking amazing."

"Oh, God, I know, right? I get one in the mornings sometimes and it seems to make sure that my day goes right,” Melora told him excitedly, moving her head to look up at him. He met her gaze, smiling gently. "So, you're not only a soft person, but you're a cute little puppy dog when it comes to romance, huh?"

"Yeah, but don't think I don't notice how nervous you suddenly are now that they all left," Sweet Pea countered. "So... wanna go back to my place and just lay there and answer deep, meaningful questions like a cute, sappy couple?"

"Fuck yeah, I do. And, hopefully, I can meet your grandmother, too."


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Melora rubbed her shoulders as the cold night air slipped around her body like silk, leaving a wake of goosebumps on her skin like an icy taunt. Sweet Pea had disappeared around the side of his trailer, but she didn't have to guess what he was doing that long as she could hear the roar of a truck from where he had disappeared. Even though it was cold, the idea of laying in the truck, looking at the stars, being so intimately close with one another seemed like the perfect thing for them to do. And the fact that Sweet Pea was the one to think of it made it that much more romantic and personal—most guys would just take her to a restaurant or a movie and just sit there awkwardly. But not Sweet Pea. He was different, and Melora loved that he wasn’t as he seemed.

When he parked the truck in front of the trailer, Sweet Pea leaned out of the door with a smile. "I'm going to go get some blankets. Are you going to be alright alone for a minute or so?"

"I'll be fine, Sweet Pea. I love this idea—it's so raw and mind-provoking, and I know it's going to make us closer, which is just what I want. I want to get to know you, the real you. Not who every other North Sider wants to believe you are," Melora admitted truthfully, waiting for him to fully step out of the truck. "Because you're different—you come off as this tough asshole, but I can tell that you’re not and I really like that about you.”

Sweet Pea let out a soft chuckle at what she had said, slipping out of the front seat and closing the door behind him. As Melora quickly stood up to meet his height, he was barely able to react to her sudden change in mood. She did want to get to know him… but teasing him was the one thing on her mind at the moment.

Melora kept her hands on his chest, feigning an innocent look as she reveled in the perplexed yet erotic expression that washed over his features. Biting down on her lip, she slowly pressed against his chest and forced him to step back until his shirt braced the cool metal of the truck. Whispering in a teasing, low voice, she licked her lips, "although, I hope I don't end up falling asleep. After such deep, thought provoking conversations, the pace tends to slow and I would much rather speed it up.” She made a show of leaning her body up against his, knowing exactly what she was doing. But it worked all too well as he was clearly unable to take it, managing to sneak a kiss onto her lips. Melora let it go on for a second or so before pulling away and placing a few feet of distance between them. "Go get the blankets, Sweets. We have some deep thinking to do, mister."

"You know just how to make me crazy, don't you?" Sweet Pea cocked an eyebrow, placing yet another minuscule kiss onto the girl's lips as if to get the last gesture. "One day, it'll be you begging to kiss me."

"Maybe one day. But, that's not going to be tonight."

 

 

 

 

Melora and Sweet Pea cuddled up inside of the truck, covered in a warm, home-made blanket. The windows were open, allowing the cool breeze to come through and give off a small, yet perfect field of view to see the twinkling, breathtaking stars. "Being a supposed criminal because i'm a South Sider, i'm curious of your take on crime. If, somehow, science had advanced and made it possible to predict which people would be more likely to commit crimes, should the people with higher risks of committing crimes be jailed or killed before they can commit them?"

Melora moved her head up to look at him, eyebrows drawn in at the ridiculous question. "Jailed or killed? For a crime someone could possibly commit? Neither. You would help them, try to stop it from happening in the first place. You don't just put somebody in jail just because they might possibly be a problem in the future."

Sweet Pea nodded at the response, a proud smirk on his lips as he accepted the answer. "It's better than what most North Siders would say. If my fate were up to them... I would be deemed a juvenile and probably be dead by now."

"Thankfully, i'm not like other North Siders,” Melora countered, teasingly rubbing her nose on his jaw, simply enjoying the feel of his skin on hers, and the light, musky scent of his cologne. "So, what do you think makes a person truly evil? And do you think that they're born that way, or was it their environment that made them that way?"

"A truly evil person..." Sweet Pea hummed to himself, unconsciously rubbing Melora's arm as he thought about the question. "I believe that people aren't born evil, but who they grow up with and how they're raised does influence children a lot. But, the idea of a truly evil person is kind of subjective and depends on what they have done to you, or other people."

"You sound like you have personal experience,” Melora murmured lowly, meeting his gaze as he let out a deep sigh. "You don't have to tell me, I was just stating the obvious—"

"No, it's fine," Sweet Pea shook his head, fixing his position by scooting up a bit in the seat. "If you ask people about me, they'll tell you that i'm a horrible guy, i'm cruel and destructive and I don't care about anyone or anything. But, no one truly knows me, no one but Fangs and Toni, and slowly you will, too. You know, if we continue whatever it is that we have. Most girls don’t want to get to know me, they just want to fuck me, so I never really have a chance to open up to someone I am seeing."

"I only had to talk to you for a minute before realizing that you weren't how everyone made you out to be,” Melora told him softly. "Of course, I did have Toni telling me about her best friends, but when you and I first met, you were so intimidating—I was so nervous."

"Yeah, but you were some random North Side girl in a place where she didn't belong when we first met. I was impressed when you pushed back, it was very... hot," Sweet Pea winked playfully. "And when you joined Tall Boy in questioning that guy? I was ready to rip my shirt off, honestly."

"So, should I punch people more often? Or was it because I had your brass knuckles?” Melora cocked an eyebrow, unsure which one turned him on. "Or, was it both?"

"Definitely both," Sweet Pea smirked for a couple of moments. He leaned down to kiss her, enjoying her groan as he pulled away quickly. With a knowing grin, he continued with the questions: "what lie do you most often tell yourself?"

"Wow, that's... God, I don't know,” Melora gasped, scooting away from Sweet Pea into the driver's seat. She wasn't able to sit still if she was going to answer this question truthfully. "Damn, that's a good one, Pea. Um, a lie I tell myself a lot would probably have to be that I am not broken."

Sweet Pea tilted his head in wonder, "what do you mean?"

"My relationship with Reggie was incredibly draining. I wasn't like I am now—I was soft-spoken, I let people step all over me and manipulating me was incredibly easy. I was an empty shell of a girl just trying to please her boyfriend,” Melora admitted shamefully, biting down on her lower lip. "And as to who I am now, I guess my entire being is kind of like a big fuck-you to him because he tried to turn me into some weak girl who he could mentally manipulate into submission, and that's why I show people that i'm confident, rebellious, and brave. Like, when I met you, I was actually fucking petrified that you were going to hurt me, but I didn't want to be that North Sider who's afraid of a South Side Serpent. Regretfully, I gave into the South Sider stereotypes and I thought you were going to kill me, or do something horrible to me."

Sweet Pea's lips parted in shock from the revelation she had just revealed to him. But, quickly, he composed himself and cleared his throat. "It's not a bad thing to change after such a mentally draining relationship," he tenderly slid his hand over hers in a comforting manner. "Sure, you can be broken because of it, but you're healing, and that's all that matters. If you have to become some bad ass bitch who doesn't let anybody walk over her, then goddammit, be that person. In a way, I do the same thing, and, quite frankly, I think that it's a good thing. If you were like that when I met you, I would have scoffed at you and left you to fend for yourself... and then come back because my grandmother would whoop my ass if she found out I potentially lead to you getting hurt."

Melora chuckled lightly as she imagined Sweet Pea's grandmother scolding him. "Tough Sweet Pea from the South Side of Riverdale being reprimanded by his elderly grandmother? Now, that would be a sight to see."

"Oh, shut up," Sweet Pea rolled his eyes with a dismissive smile playing on his lips. "Next question."

"If this is too personal, I understand and you don't have to tell me anything," Melora started off, shifting slightly in her seat. "Is there any event in your life that had the biggest impact on who you are? You show everyone that you're a hardened, tough guy who will most definitely fuck someone up for looking at you wrong, but after getting to know you even for a day, you're actually incredibly sweet and romantic and just... completely contradicting to what people believe."

"No, it's fine, really, I like opening up to you. You don't judge me, and that's really refreshing," Sweet Pea rubbed his thumb over the skin of Melora's hand, licking his lips before he continued. "As a child, I was so sweet and happy and over-joyous about anything and everything. But, my father dropped me off at my grandmother's one day and simply never came back. It only took a month for me to realize that he was never going to come back, because I was the child he didn't want. And suddenly, I wasn't that sweet, happy, excited kid anymore; I became sort of like I am now—closed off, angry all the time, and intimidating. My grandmother told me that the only thing my father said was that I was too much for him, that he got along better with my sibling than I did. I don't even remember what he, my father or my sibling, looks like, or what their names are. I don't even remember the last name because my grandma has my mother's surname."

"God... that's horrible. Your father is a coward,” Melora spat in anger, unable to believe that someone would give Sweet Pea away simply because the father wasn't ready to have multiple kids. Sure, it happens, but to not even stay in contact? To help out in any way? That's just fucking terrible. "So, you could have multiple siblings, and you don't know because he doesn't stay in contact and help out? What a bitch."

"Yeah," Sweet Pea murmured lowly, cuddling up to Melora as she scooted back to where she previously was, trying to comfort him. It wasn't much, nothing but a tiny gesture, but both of them seemed to really enjoy the closeness, being able to really revel in the skin on skin contact, the level of comfort and trust that they had in one another. Sometimes, it was all that was needed. "Do you think that war is inevitable, or can it be ended completely?"

"Well, I would hope that it could be ended completely because it ruins peoples lives, both in the fight and outside of it. But humankind is apparently driven on the need to be on top, to try and stay on top of the food chain and prove to everything else on this planet that we're superior, and when somebody threatens that... it's an all out war for the stupidest of reasons. So, as much as I would like to say it can be ended completely, I wouldn't be truthful if I didn't say war was inevitable," Melora huffed, desperately loving to imagine a world where there were no wars; no one was hated for their skin color, where they were born, which gender they were, if any, or who was attracted to who. No one was greedy and went after oil in other counties, in fact, all countries were helpful to one another and worked as one big, perfect machine. But sadly, that was currently just a pipe dream.

"You're right... it sucks," Sweet Pea sighed. "People ask me why i'm angry all the damn time, and it's because people are just so fucking horrible, so greedy and selfish. I know you have a lot of money, and try to give where you can, but so many of the problems we have could be solved if the rich didn't hold onto the shit ton of money they have."

"So, my next question could potentially tie in with how society thinks. Why do you think we have apocalyptic games, movies, TV shows, and books that have become so incredibly popular? And what do you think it says about culture and society?"

"Oh, easy. We're so desperate to restart our shitty laws and follower-culture that we desperately want to be forced to start everything over, because no one is wiling to change things for the better without there being no other way," Sweet Pea waved her off, highlighting the fact that he thought her question was incredibly easy. "Plus, people thinking about being able to change themselves for the better by having to survive in a dead Earth is so invigorating. I mean, if the zombie apocalypse happens, do you know how much the Serpents would expand? We would make a new world, our own laws and just kill the undead. It'd be awesome."

"Except Jughead is not going to be your leader. I nominate FP, and you and Toni. You two seem to keep each other level headed and together, you two could do great things,” Melora grinned at him. "I love the idea of a zombie apocalypse. But, like... imagining any other types of apocalypses scares me because I wouldn't ever want to face a barren planet thanks to floods, or be in a big ice age, or anything like that."

"Yeah, those ones are much more terrifying because it's much more real and possible," Sweet Pea agreed. "And, for my next question, I was wondering... is there anyone or anything that you would sacrifice your life for?"

"Honestly, I would sacrifice myself for anybody,” Melora replied, licking her lips as she imagined herself having to do exactly that, for everyone she loved and cared for. "Despite trying to change after Reggie, I still want to help everybody I can, and that includes putting others before myself. It’s not even a ‘look like a hero’ kind of thing, it’s truly just me wanting to help other people."

"You're too nice for your own good, Lora," Sweet Pea teased lightly. "Now that you have me, though, I won't let you give in to your hero qualities for someone who doesn't deserve it. I’ve learned the hard way what being nice does to you—hopefully you haven’t been shoved into a trash can or used as a scape goat in a robbery."

“Interesting, but definitely not. Um, in your eyes, what's the most crucial thing for a healthy relationship?” Melora asked the boy, genuinely interested in what he had to say about his take on relationships. "What's most important to you?"

"In a healthy relationship, you need trust, and loyalty, and to be there for your significant other, but not to the point where the relationship is co-dependent... kinda like what you've told me about Jughead and Betty," Sweet Pea explained thoughtfully. "I've only ever been in one true relationship, but it wasn't that healthy. It was pretty much just sex, and her manipulating me into doing what she wanted. Toni helped me out of it, and when I look back at it... I just know I never want to be in a relationship like that ever again."

"Name, address, and number, now,” Melora demanded, mostly playfully. The idea that someone could do that to him was inexplicable, but stuff like that happened in life all the time and all you can really do is learn from it. "That's one of the things that sucks about relationships. It's why many people stay lonely—because we're afraid of being hurt. We don't want to create real, genuine connections with other people and we distance ourselves by making it all about sex, because if it's all about sex, there's little to no emotion, little room to grow attached and become hurt when it ends. I love sex, but I would much rather do it with someone who I want to be with."

"Does that mean you want to be with me?" Sweet Pea inquired hopefully, turning Melora's head towards his so he could stroke her cheek with his thumb. "That you do want us to be more than just a good fuck every now and then?"

Climbing over to sit on top of his lap and fully face him, as if showing him that she wasn't lying, that she really did want a relationship with him, the two smiled at one another, glad that they were on the same page. "Of course I do, Sweets. Why wouldn't I? I mean, come on, not only are you so attractive that I literally want to kiss you every second of every day since I've met you, but you're sweet and kind and underneath all of the bad ass Serpent attitude, you're a phenomenal guy and becoming your actual girlfriend would make me undeniably happy."

Sweet Pea smiled, gently leaning in for a soft kiss. Unlike the first time that they had kissed, it wasn't in any sexual manner, or as some way to start it. It was simply adoration, the appreciation of being heard, of being the one to sit still and truly learn about each other. It was pure, and full of passion and electricity.

And although it started out as a pure, chaste kiss, it was soon misinterpreted as an intimate initiation. Sweet Pea wrapped his arms tightly around Melora's waist, bringing her into his body as close as he could, forcing her arms to really only have one spot to go to; she folded them around his neck, her fingers stretching so far because of how close they were to the sides of his head, allowing her to ruffle his hair a little bit.

"And suddenly... this truck just got incredibly steamy."

"Cute, Lora," Sweet Pea whispered, moving his lips from the corners of her mouth to her jaw, down to her neck, and ending at her collarbone and shoulders, leaving little tiny kisses on her hot skin. She could feel small sparks of electricity zap under the areas he had touched, and if she were being honest, it felt like she was high, on cloud nine. "Aren't you glad we're in here, and not out in the back like people normally do? It would be freezing, even with these blankets."

"Freezing, yet incredibly stimulating,” Melora murmured back, craning her neck as she rotated her hips, knowing exactly what she was doing to him. Melora's fingers grasped the bottom of his shirt, riding it up while trailing across the skin on his stomach. He ceased from kissing her collar bone long enough to help her slip the white shirt from off of his body, discarding it somewhere in the truck.

Melora placed her lips upon his chest, moving with his body as he twisted to lay down in the large, elongated seat of the truck. He mirrored her actions, making her just as naked as he currently was. And that's how the pace kept going, their mouths on each other's bodies, needy and sloppy, and slowly taking off the last remaining articles of clothing.

"Let's hope you have some protection in here... but just in case you don't, you get to get out of our comfortable position and fetch me my bag."

Sweet Pea let out a humorous scoff. "Of course I have protection. I'm not looking to have a baby to be born into this life that I live. However, I am looking forward to being between your thighs."

"Oh, Sweet Pea, you can be anywhere you damn well please as long as I get to hear just how loud you can get."


	18. Chapter Eighteen

"Pea, are you sure we won't wake your grandmother up? I don't want her to think i'm some floozy or something grabbing a snack after having sex with her—"

"—grandson?" An older, much different voice cut the girl off, prompting her heart to flop directly out of her chest as she zipped around to see the lovely woman's face, then automatically sliding behind Sweet Pea as much as she could. His grandmother smiled sweetly, chuckling at Melora’s shy, frightened actions. "Oh, I don't bite, honey."

"Abuela, this is Melora," Sweet Pea laughed, taking a couple of steps to the side as he raised his arms to show the girl off. "She's been dying to meet you."

Lily flexed out her arm. "I'm Lily, Sweet Pea's grandmother."

"Melora,” the girl met the older woman's grip, taking in a deep breath to force her courage to come back. "It's lovely to meet you, Lily."

"You, too, honey," Lily slowly made her way into the kitchen, wiggling her eyebrows in a way that Melora wasn't sure if it was meant to be suggestive, or teasing. "Looking for snacks, I heard? I made some brownies earlier if you two would like some."

"Oh. No, thank you, I wouldn't want to—"

"Of course we'll have some, abuela," Sweet pea nudged Melora's arm, smiling politely. "Melora is too kind. She was about to say that she didn't want to intrude and take our food."

"Oh, nonsense," Lily waved her off, grunting light as she lifted the glass container from the counter beside the fridge and slid it onto the table. "If Fangs can come over and gorge on food, so can you, honey."

"Thank you, Lily," Melora took the opportunity of her back being turned to send Sweet Pea a pointed look. He simply smiled, tangling their fingers together before he brought her to the other side of the counter. "They look delectable."

“Delectable? I see you have a… fancier vocabulary," Lily murmured lowly to herself, the corners of her lips twitching upwards. "Fangs told me about you two. Although, he told me that you feel guilty when you're around us South Siders because you have money, and we don't. I'm curious... is he right?"

"Abuela!" Sweet Pea gasped at her, shaking his head. "Don't make her any more uncomfortable than she already is."

"Oh, calmarse, Sweet Pea," Lily shushed her grandson, sighing. "I don't care about money, and I can see why you would feel uncomfortable, but you can't change who you are, and you can't change how we are. I don't mind taking care of myself and Sweet Pea—he was left on my doorstep by his father, and I wasn't going to cast him out to fend for himself even if I didn't want to take care of a child. Just because I have to use a little bit more of my money to keep him fed doesn't make me angry — I'd spend my last penny on Sweet Pea, for whatever it is he needed."

"Are we really going to tell her my story? I don't want to scare her away, abuela," Sweet Pea tenderly chuckled, looking over to see Melora leaning forward in intrigue. "Or, not..."

"I would love to know who Sweet Pea's father is. Clock him in the jaw, kick him in the balls, you know, normal angry girlfriend stuff,” Melora huffed, rolling her eyes as she imagined a man leaving his child with his grandmother, for a reason she didn't know, yet knew would anger her. "Everything he deserves."

"Even I don't know who it is. Abuela doesn't want me to know who so I don't go out and find them, and land myself in juvie," Sweet Pea murmured, resting his head in his right hand.

Lily handed the two a brownie. "I will give you a hint—if Sweet Pea had a last name... it would be Melinda."

"Melinda?” Melora's head jerked back in shock. She smacked her lips together as she concentrated on trying to figure out where she had heard that surname before. "Why is that so familiar?" Lily watched the girl in intrigue, as if waiting for her to connect the dots. "It's going to bother me so much. Someone told me that Melinda was their mother's surname. Does that mean I’ve met Sweet Pea’s father? His family?"

"It doesn't matter, la miel, I don't care about those putas,” Lily shook her head dismissively, the anger she felt about what Sweet Pea’s real father did bubbling up. "Leaving your son with his grandmother just because you can't handle him is not a good reason to abandon a child. I love Sweet Pea to death and I don't regret taking care of him at all, but Sweet Pea was so young... he barely remembers them. If it weren't for me, where do you think he would be now, mmhm? Drugged up so much that he can't even tell reality from fantasy? In juvie? Dead? It terrifies me to think about."

"Abuela, you know i'm never going to do drugs. That shit is disgusting and ruins people and their entire lives," Sweet Pea assured her, taking a bite of one of the brownies. He let out a moan at the taste, a happy smile replacing the disheartened expression that he previously wore. "Besides, I had Toni growing up. She would kill me if she saw me with a stick of Jingle Jangle.”

Melora bit down on her lip nervously, awkwardly, hoping they wouldn’t notice her look of guilt. She had done the drug awhile ago with Reggie, feeling as if she had to do it to be with him, and although it wasn’t that bad, she didn’t want to become addicted to it like many others were. And ever since then, she hasn’t had another stick. And she wouldn’t, especially now that Sweet Pea was trying to reassure his grandmother about it—she didn’t want them to think she was a druggie, or someone who wasn’t good for Sweet Pea.

“You had some, haven’t you?” Lily coerced a gasp from Melora’s lips—she wasn’t expecting to be caught. Taking a step back, she opened her mouth to explain herself. “It’s bad for you, you know. But you North Siders are trying too hard to like yourselves that you eat that shit up like it’s candy.”

“I only tried it once, and I felt like I had to because of my boyfriend,” Melora shook her head rapidly. “I have never tried it since, I swear.”

“Calm down, you act like she’ll never let you back here if you had,” Sweet Pea murmured, tenderly kissing the top of Melora’s head to soothe her. “She just doesn’t like it because of what it would do to me if I had it. Don’t worry, you’ll only lose a point or two with my abuela. Go on, try a brownie, and relax."

Noting how Sweet Pea had reacted to his grandmother's brownies, Melora nibbled on the end of hers to get her own taste of it. And he was right to let out an orgasmic moan—it tasted like heaven. So soft, and chewy, and chocolate-y. She would have figured it was made from a store and heated up in the oven a little bit. But, no, these were homemade. "These are the greatest brownies I have ever eaten. I mean, I'd kill for these."

"Thank you, honey," Lily smiled, glad that her grandson and his guest were enjoying her homemade goods. "Let's change the subject, shall we?"

"It's going to drive me insane!” Melora chuckled in a whine, running her thumb over the skin of Sweet Pea's hand. "Melinda... I know who it is. I know who his father is, but I can't remember? That's—“ she cut myself off as her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was very late at night, and she wasn't sure who would be texting her. But, nonetheless, she glanced at the text.

To: Melora

From: Kevin

Hey, I don't know if you're asleep or not, or if i'm bothering you, but i'm at the hospital with Midge. Could you please come down here? I... I need someone to talk to, and someone to help me comfort Midge (and myself). You don’t have to, but it’d be nice to have someone here with me.

Melora's eyes widened in horror. "Uh, i'm so sorry to just up and leave, but I really have to go. Something's happened."

Sweet Pea's eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"It's... nothing. I'll talk to you later?"

"Let me take you. I drove us here, remember?" Sweet Pea reminded the panicked girl, placing his hands on her shoulders so that she would face him. She took in a deep breath and gave him a tiny, thankful smile as she took note of his worried look. "At least let me drop you off, or something."

"Alright." Meloragave in with a nod. "Thank you so much, Sweets."

"Of course. I'd never let you go to the hospital alone, especially when you might need some support." Sweet Pea placed a tiny kiss onto the girl’s forehead, making her smile grow just a bit wider at how much he truly cared. He then turned towards his grandmother. "I'll be back, abuela. Don't wait up for me, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

"Be safe, you two," Lily commanded. "It was mice meeting you, Melora!"

"You, too, Lily! Again, I am so sorry to leave. I'll try to make it up to you, I promise."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Sweet Pea turned off his bike, looking up at Melora through his dark eyelashes. She smiled gently, one hand pressed to his chest while the other was still clutching onto the back of the seat. "Or, if you want, i'll stay out here."

"It's cold outside," Melora sent him a pointed look, grabbing onto the collar of his jacket and pulling upwards just a tiny bit to make him have to stand. "I'm not going to let you stay out here. Not only do I not know how long I will be in there, but I'm not ashamed to be seen with you if that's what you were thinking. I could care less if someone thinks i'm simply trying to be a bad ass by hanging out with a notorious stoic gang member."

"I'll leave my knife, don't worry," Sweet Pea smirked, opening up a tiny pouch on the back of his motorcycle and dropping said knife into it. From what I could see, I noticed that his brass knuckles were in there, too. Melora noted to herself, maybe one day i'll ask him to use them again, for practice. "C'mon, Lora, let's go make sure your friend's okay."

It took a total of twelve minutes to reach Kevin and Midge in the right waiting room. She was grateful that neither of them questioned why she was with Sweet Pea, but seeing as why they were in the hospital, Sweet Pea would have been the least of their concerns, anyways.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything between you two," Kevin wrapped his arms around Melora's neck, and a smaller figure latched around her side. Midge sniffled as she dug her head into the middle of Melora's rib-cage. "And I know you're not a big fan of Moose, but I didn't know who else to call. You're really the only one that—"

"—Hey, Kevin, it's alright. I'm here for you, both of you. Even if I was, for some reason, in the middle of giving birth, i'd be here,” Melora sighed, allowing them to hold onto her for as long as they needed to. "Besides, the only thing you really interrupted was me meeting Sweet Pea's grandmother. It's totally fine, I can see her again."

"Thank God you're here, Mel," Midge cried, sniffling once again as she let go and took a step back. Kevin followed suit, his eyes red and puffy, but his tears were dried up by now. "It was horrible. Moose and I... we were up at Lover's Lane. We had, uh, taken some Jingle Jangle," her red, teary eyes glanced up to meet Melora's, as if to see her reaction—it was like she expected her to be appalled, but she wasn't. Everybody knew that Moose and Midge were a thing, although because of Melora's relationship with her, she knew just a bit more than anybody else. "The two of us were about to, you know, when some man in a black hood came up to the driver's side door, Moose's side, and began shooting. If Moose hadn't shielded me with his body, i'd be in surgery with him right now."

"Oh, Midge,” Melora gasped, horrified with what she had to go through. Her own experience with the Black Hood was much different — she hadn't seen firsthand what he had done, and even him passing her by and leaving her alone couldn't compare to the horror that Midge must have been feeling right now. "I'm so sorry. I truly hope that he's okay. Having to watch as some man comes up to the car and shoots Moose right in front of you..."

"I asked Kevin to text you because you sort of went through the same thing. Not directly, like Archie, but I wouldn't want to make him relive this," Midge gulped, trying to compose herself again. "And I would have texted you, but my hands won't stop shaking."

"I'm so sorry for what you went through," Sweet Pea spoke softly, averting her attention to him. "It must have been horrifying."

"Sweet Pea, right?" Midge sniffled, licking her dry lips. "Are you two dating, or something? You don't have to answer that, but it would be nice to talk about anything other than what happened."

"Yeah, there's no word on Moose yet, so... a distraction would be nice," Kevin smiled weakly, looking between Sweet Pea and Melora as a tiny corner of his lip slightly lifted.

"Melora and I..." Sweet Pea looked down at the girl, sucking in his lips as he was unsure what they were. They had briefly told each other that they wanted to be together, but it wasn’t a full blown conversation like she wanted it to be. So, really, neither of them were entirely sure. "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. We've just really began whatever this is, so neither of us have sat down and explained it."

"I'd like to say that we're in the works of becoming official,” Melora stated optimistically, glad to see Midge let out a small, enchanted smile. "We're not just there, yet. I mean, we still have to have a date, at least."

"You two were just at Pop's, why couldn't that count?" Kevin asked, playfully puffing out his bottom lip. "Speaking of, Sweet Pea was staring at you all evening."

"So I heard,” Melora smiled, turning around to teasingly glance at the boy beside her. Sweet Pea’s cheeks brightened in embarrassment. "But we were with friends, that's not really much of a date unless i'm dating Fangs and Toni as well. I mean, that'd be cool because they're both extremely hot, but I prefer just Sweet Pea."

"Thank God, I don't have to compete for your affections," Sweet Pea murmured a joke with a relieved sigh, his hand once again finding Melora's and entwining their fingers together. "That would suck."

"You two are so cute," Midge rested her head onto Kevin's shoulder. "Aren't they, Kevin?"

Kevin remarked with a clever look, "Riverdale's hottest almost-couple."

"I know you wanted to talk about us to divert your attention from what happened, but I have to know... how does Kevin fit into all of this?” Melora questioned, eyeing the boy as he averted his gaze from hers. "Kevin... what are you hiding from me?"

Kevin sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to let it go. But he knew that he could trust her, so he explained, "I've been lonely and miserable ever since Joaquin left. The only way I can meet other guys is in the woods where we're alone and not going to be seen, so I was hooking up with a guy when I heard Midge screaming."

"I'm sorry, back up for a second... you're hooking up with guys in the woods? While there's someone going around playing God? Kevin, no...” Melora sighed in disappointment, feeling for him, but worried about him getting hurt. "I know you said no more Serpents, but I get a bit of an into-men vibe from Fangs Fogarty. He's probably bisexual. Although, if i'm wrong Fangs can personally skin me."

"Fogarty doesn't have the stomach for that," Sweet Pea scoffed humorously. "Besides, I wouldn't let him. You're too cute to be skinned alive for being wrong about his sexuality. You'd have to ask him about that, though."

"Yeah, okay, well, while you two assume he's into men, don't assume he'd be into me," Kevin rolled his eyes with a small exhale. "Men in Riverdale don't seem to like me."

"Oh, that's bullshit,” Melora crossed her arms in disagreement. "I'm pansexual and the last person I dated was a complete dick. I was going to say I apparently only date assholes, but that's only a stereotype connected to Sweet Pea. He's actually a sweet pea, pun definitely intended."

Midge giggled at the pun, a nice, genuine smile playing on her lips. "Reggie's gotten better since then, you know. He feels horrible."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to face him after what he did to me. If he tries to flirt with me again, I will literally fuck Sweet Pea ten times in the places that mean the most to him," Melora smiled devilishly at the thought of it. "Rub it in his face that I found someone better, you know? It's the goal of every scorned ex-girlfriend."

"I just wanted to say that I am totally down with this scornful, revenge fucking for Reggie," Sweet Pea whispered into Melora's ear, grinning cheekily. "Just saying."

"I'm glad you're on board, Sweetie,” Melora chuckled in response, ignoring the adoring looks towards her and Sweet Pea from Kevin and Midge. "So, does anybody want anything? I can always go to the cafeteria and get something."

"Moose and I's parents are coming, along with Kevin's dad to get a statement from us. My mom and dad are bringing me something to eat, so, I'm good, thank you," Midge sucked in her lips, giving Melora a thankful nod. "Again, I really appreciate you coming here."

"And i'm sorry I ended your meeting with Sweet Pea's grandmother," Kevin added lowly, laughing nervously as he took a step back, noticing his friend's pointed glare. "I know you said it was okay, but that's a big relationship step!"

"We're not even officially dating, yet, Kev," Melora sighed, although letting a couple of laughs echo past her lips. She crossed her arms. "Besides, it's my parents we have to worry about. They've never really liked the South Side, specifically the Serpents. And tonight I probably made it worse by punching my brother and stealing half of his money for Fangs, aka a Serpent."

"You punched your brother and stole his money?" Kevin gasped, both him and Midge perking up in interest. "Why?"

"Because Fangs needed it more, and my brother was being a wealthy douchebag. My father will give it back to him using his own money, so why not give it to a guy with six siblings who needs it much more than we do?" Melora shrugged. "I'll deal with the consequences tomorrow. The worst thing he'll do is take away my phone, or something."

"What if he forbids you from being with the Serpents?" Midge tilted her head in wonder.

"I'll fuck Sweet Pea on my father's desk, bed, and anything in between to show him that there is no way that i'll ever stop being friends, or more, with the Serpents,” Melora replied coolly, then smiled over at Sweet Pea. "Besides, my father doesn't get to have a say in who I hang out with. As the rebel of the family, they know by now that I don't listen to them if it's not truly justified."

"Fahy is a bad bitch, huh? Sweet Pea will be good for you," Midge winked teasingly. "And you'll be good for him. I just know it."

"Mmm, you wanna know another couple who'd be great together? Fangs and Kevin," Melora shrugged innocently, unable to help the snicker that was released between her lips as Kevin gave her a shocked look. "What? He's less dangerous than some random guy in the woods."

"Okay, well... how about we talk about Midge and Moose instead, and not focus on my love life?"

"For now, Keller... for now."


	20. Chapter Twenty

"It was full-on Carrie, Midge covered in Moose's blood screaming like a banshee. It was insane," Kevin explained to the small group of friends. He didn't even react as Archie walked into the room.

Worry crossed over Archie's features. "Kev, what were you even doing out there? You could've been shot, too."

"I was just night jogging, you know, as one does, and suddenly I hear gunshots," Kevin replied, and even if Melora hadn't of known the truth as to why he really was out in the woods, his excuse seemed incredibly off. Kevin Keller wasn't known to go walking, or jogging, especially at night.

Quickly letting it go, Archie sat down in an empty chair, facing Jughead. "Can we at least agree now that there's a killer on the loose?"

Jughead cut in with a tiny scoff, "with terrible aim."

Archie called the boy out on his rude comment, "Jughead, he murdered Ms. Grundy."

Betty leaned forward, coming in to defend her boyfriend even though he shouldn't be dismissed for his disrespectful comment. "Archie, we don't know that all three crimes are related."

"So?” Melora spoke up, looking at Betty with a confused expression, wondering how any of that mattered. "Even if it was a different person, which I doubt, that doesn't give your boyfriend the right to belittle what Archie was saying. All that matters is that somebody is going around shooting people, and we all have to be careful." Like like night, Kevin made sure to keep his gaze from meeting hers, knowing that she was secretly mentioning his hook ups in the woods.

"Guys, can we focus on what matters here?" Veronica brought everybody back to the conversation, the one before Archie had come. "Midge and Moose are alive. Archie's dad survived... the new season of The Matchlerette starts tonight, and you're all coming over to watch."

"There's a shooter terrorizing our town, and you really want us to watch a gross reality dating show?" Jughead sent Veronica a weird look. Melora found it kind of funny, though, because she thought his own relationship was like a gross reality TV show, except for people that clearly needed help and instead did anything they possibly could to run away from it. It was almost like a game to them, it seemed.

"What I really want is for you guys to meet my dad, officially," Veronica smiled hopefully, looking over at the small group of her five best friends. "Back in New York, my dad was always in his study — doing very bad things, as it turns out. I'm tired of closed doors. I need to know my dad's life, and he needs to know mine."

"Well, we'll be there, V. Can't wait," Betty gave her a soft squeeze on the shoulder in encouragement. Melora did the same, though she leaned forward to hold her hand.

The second Melora noticed Reggie walk through the doors with a couple of his football buddies walk through the door, her eyes averted to the floor, finding her shoes suddenly very interesting. "Hey, Andrews, we're going to the hospital to see Moose. You coming?" Him and his friends passed behind the couch her and a couple of her friends were sat on. She could feel him staring at the back of her head, like he desperately wanted her to turn around, but she refused to look him in the eye. Hell, she refused to sneak a look at his shoes—anything that had to do with him, she would avoid as best as she could. She didn't want to bring up any more memories — at least not right now. Veronica soothingly rubbed Melora's back, probably recalling what the girl had told her when she had taken her, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Toni, and Kevin to Pop's for a milkshake, and wanted to comfort her.

"Yeah, for sure," Archie replied, quickly giving his girlfriend a tap on the shoulder in agreement to her offer before he joined Reggie and his friends. "I'll see you tonight."

"Oh, I better go, too," Jughead began to gather up his things. "I was supposed to meet my 'peer mentor' at Southside High about half an hour ago."

"Wait, Jug, who's your peer mentor?” Melora perked up, relaxing a little bit as she glanced behind her to see that the football guys had left. "Just curious."

"Toni Topaz," he replied, raising his eyebrows at the girl as if it was a way to say goodbye. But, before he could get out the door, Betty stopped him to talk lowly to themselves. "Why, are you jealous?"

"Oh, piss off, Jones."

 

 

 

Seeing as everybody had began to split off, Melora giggled lightly as Kevin held his hand out for her to grab. She took it, jumping to her feet with a playful laugh echoing from her lips. From there, she wrapped her arm through his and followed Kevin as he lead her towards his locker. "So, you seemed like you were telling a play when you told them the story. Last night, it seemed much more emotional. Maybe because you have a thing for Moose, and you were worried about Midge, but here you feel like everyone would judge you for having a crush on Moose?"

"Okay, no, Mel—"

"Kevin, now that's it's just..." Betty briefly paused, almost as if she were surprised to see Melora; it took her a moment to continue on with what she was about to say. "...the three of us... night jogging? Really?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to get in shape for wrestling," Kevin told her, which from what he had told Melora some time ago, was actually true, but by Betty's face, it was obvious that she didn't believe any of it for a second. "Fine, I was just cruising Fox Forest. But, I am going out for wrestling, and I did tell my dad I was jogging."

"And he believed you?"

"Yeah, because he wants to believe me."

"Hey, look, I get it, you're post-Joaquin, but cruising? Come on, Kev, you know I hate that." Kevin sighed as he opened up his locker. "Why can't you just use Grind'em like every other gay guy in the world?"

"Because no one's who they say they are online. At least in real life, what you see is what you get — there's no surprises," Kevin explained.

"Wait, are you saying you cruised the woods for a guy because you think people don't like you for your looks? They don't like you for you?” Melora inquired, suddenly saddened at the revelation. "Kev, you're a really attractive guy and I know people would love you for who you are."

"This, coming from a girl with an almost-boyfriend," Kevin shot back in a murmur. Melora bit down on the inside of my cheek, waving it off as annoyance from feeling like her Betty were cornering him.

"Moose and Midge were shot literally three hundred yards from Fox Forest, and the person who did it is still out there. Tell me you won't go back there — at least not until he's caught," Betty demanded.

"Okay," Kevin laughed awkwardly, just wanting the conversation to be over. "I will not go back, Scout's honor." He held up three fingers, the Scout's sign.

"Now that he's not going to get himself killed, what is this about an almost-boyfriend, Melora?" Betty turned towards Melora, which was definitely not something she wanted to talk about, especially with Betty. She knows how Melora feels about her relationship, so any chance she got, she knew Betty would find the smallest, most stupid reason to bag on her—whatever it was—with Sweet Pea.

Thankfully, the school bell rang, giving her the perfect excuse to ignore Betty’s attempt at changing the topic. "Oh, sorry, I gotta get to class. Bye, Kevin, bye, Betty!"


	21. Chapter Twenty One

"Why don't you come sit down next to me, loverboy?" Veronica called out to her boyfriend, trying to get his attention as his stare remained fixated on nothing in particular. When he didn't respond, she continued, dishearteningly. "Archie..."

"I'm sorry, this thing with Moose—honestly, it's like nobody cares. My dad keeps saying 'leave it to Sheriff Keller' and i'm like 'yeah, dad, because he did such a great job of catching Jason's murderer,' oh, wait, i'm sorry... that was us," Archie grew louder, more heated as he ranted to the friend group about his father, and the black hood. "Doesn't it make you angry, Mel? You have been there for moral support two of three times the black hood has attacked, aren't you pissed that nobody's doing anything about it?"

Veronica lowly shushed, "inside voices!"

"No, don't stop him," Jughead spoke aloud, completely disregarding Veronica's wishes. "Archie going Travis Bickle is my favorite Archie yet."

Archie sighed, "but, doesn't it feel like he's targeting us? I mean, specifically—I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

"You know, back in our salad days, when we had a getaway on the Cape, all of us in our little cul-de-sac got together and hired private security to keep out the riffraff as an added layer of protection," Veronica said, and Melora wasn't entirely sure what she was really talking about, but she didn't get a chance to really sift through her brain to figure it out because another voice interrupted their conversation—a deep, manly voice that she just knew had to be Veronica's father's.

"I loved that little house," Hiram commented, the five-person group standing up as Veronica's parents made their way to the living room with their arms linked together.

"Daddy," Veronica greeted in surprise.

"We are on our way to dinner at the club," Hermione explained to her daughter.

"Yes," Hiram whispered lowly, "but I wanted to meet your friends first."

"Great, thank you," Veronica clasped her hands together, turning around to introduce everybody. "Uh, this is Betty Cooper..." they shook hands and said hello, like everybody else did. "And Jughead Jones..."

"You know my dad," Jughead said.

Hiram nodded once their hands went back to their sides. "I do. He's a good man, he values family. I hope his return comes sooner rather than later."

Just barely could I hear Jughead start to say, "yeah, so do we all."

Melora kind of felt bad for him being cut off, but she couldn't do anything about it seeing as she was next—Veronica continued with the introductions. "And then there's Melora Fahy, I believe you worked with her parents before."

"Really, you have?” Melora sent the handsome man a puzzled gaze, never having heard her father talk about Hiram Lodge, or any Lodge for that matter. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, your father is a great asset," Hiram smiled politely, shaking the girl's hand. She then took a step back, allowing Archie to get on with his turn.

"And, finally, this is—"

Hiram interrupted his daughter. "Archie Andrews, the boy who has captured my daughter's heart."

"Daddy!" Veronica scolded him, not wanting him to scare Archie off.

But, Archie didn't let it phase him. He smiled, "uh, it's nice to meet you, Sir."

"Ah, please..." Hiram looked at Archie, and he hadn't shaken his hand yet, which made Melora feel nervous, mostly for Archie himself. Did Hiram not like Archie? If so, why, exactly? Thankfully, he continued, setting her back on ease. He grasped Archie's outstretched hand. "Call me Hiram." The sound of their hands slapping together immediately crushed that ease—it was like Hiram was trying to show his dominance over him, and she didn't like that kind of mental manipulation at all. The room went silent for a couple of moments before he spoke again. "Listen, I couldn't help but overhear your discussion, and I, um, understand your frustration with Sheriff Keller. And, as per someone who has had his own share of run-ins with the law," Hiram chuckled, then immediately continued as if he hadn't have stopped, "I can say with confidence that the police aren't always the solution. Sometimes, we need to take matters into our own hands. We need to be able to protect ourselves."

Hermione butt in, "we're gonna lose our table."

"Oh, yes, of course," Hiram nodded, leaning towards the group of five. "Hey, it was nice to meet all of you." The parents were just about to leave, when Hiram stopped, turning back towards everybody. "Hey, Archie... why don't you come over for dinner this week? I look forward to seeing what you come up with to save Riverdale."

With that, the parents finally left for their dinner, leaving the kids alone to watch the show with Veronica.

Something about Hiram was... off. Sure, he made sense because he was partly right about protecting themselves and taking things into their own hands, but his speech seemed directed specifically towards Archie. It was almost like he was inadvertently trying to get Archie to do something stupid that he wouldn't normally do. Instead of going to Sheriff Keller like he should, Hiram was subliminally telling him to do something about the Black Hood himself. Melora wasn't going to bring this up because she didn’t want to do that in front of Veronica. Not only because it would be kind of weird and rude and undermining, but if she were wrong, she would never want to lose our friendship over something like that. Her friendship with Veronica was much more important than her suspicions. At least, since it didn't seem like that big of a deal at the moment, there was no reason to ruin anything between them over something that might actually be nothing.

 

 

 

 

"Oh, you're actually home? I figured you stayed out again. Just to let you know, you are so busted," Skyra snickered as she hit the last step on the stairs to find her sister there as well. "Mom and Dad are in the kitchen — just your luck, so is Aldren."

"Fun.” Melora sighed to herself, trudging after Skyra as she lead her towards the kitchen. As they grew closer, they were talking about being worried about Melora, worried that Sweet Pea and the Serpents had corrupted her mind, or something along those lines. However, the second Skyra and Melora herself stepped onto the pale turquoise tiles of the kitchen, their conversation ceased. "Hey, mom, dad, Aldren... i'm home. I stayed over at Veronica's because she wanted me to meet her father."

"You need to stay away from those South Side Serpents, Melora," Richard shook his head in distaste, sighing as he reached his arms out for a hug. Despite being slightly afraid of what he might do to her, Melora embraced him, letting out a huff. "You hear me, Sweetie?"

Taking a step back, she gave him a look that made him know that she didn't agree with him at all. "I can't do that, they're my friends dad. They're not bad influences on me, either."

"Oh, so you weren't just trying to impress them by punching me and taking my money?" Aldren grew defensive, pushing himself off of the counter with his hands. He paced over to his sister, his face full of rage and anger. "Because of you, I had to have dad pay for my friend's movie ticket."

"Movie ticket? I left you with three hundred, how could you possibly not have paid for them? And, also, why couldn't they pay for themselves?” Melora questioned him, sliding past his body to go over towards the pantry. "At least my reason for taking your money was mostly justified."

"Why did you do that to your brother, Melora?" Claudia asked in a scolding tone. "We had to ice his face. I would be impressed if it weren't for the fact that you hit your brother of all people!"

"He was being a total dick to my friends for no reason, mom. Yeah, that's not a great excuse, but I was afraid he was going to hurt them. I stole the money as payback, and because my friend needed it much more than Aldren did,” Melora sighed, snatching a cookie spread, Biscoff, that she loved so dearly, and a couple pieces of bread. "My friend, Fangs, he lives on the South Side. He has six siblings. Six! We're wealthy, we have a shit ton of food and never have to worry about bills. They're barely scraping by, and I wanted to help. I was going to give my money, but Aldren was being a douche, so... blame Aldren for being a disrespectful asshole."

"You gave my money to a weak, lowlife Serpent?" Aldren curled his lip in disgust. "Why not just let him die off? The world would be a much better place without him."

"Shut up, Aldren!" Oliver growled from the doorway, his teeth grit in anger. "Wishing death upon someone... that's just horrible, even for you." He paused to let himself move onto Claudia and Richard. "I've met her friends, they're great people—mom, you had me follow Mel to The Whyte Wyrm to check up on her; you have to know that those children, her friends, are just kids who were forced to grow up too fast and survive however they could. Yeah, Mel could have done it a different way but with how Aldren was being, I don't really blame her."

"So, what, it was okay to punch me because I was being a dick? They deserve it, they're South Side scum!" Aldren snarled.

Grumbling lowly to herself, Melora turned towards Aldren. "Look, A, i'm sorry for punching you, but i'm not sorry for taking your money. I bet you dad gave you more to replace it, didn't he? Fangs sometimes doesn't eat, or he goes to a friend's house to eat so his siblings are able to have food in their stomachs. You know me, I had to help. So, I'm sorry that I went a bit overboard, alright?"

"Fine, I will accept your apology, but only because mom is giving me the mom-glare," Aldren huffed. "I'm going to go to my room."

"And, just to remind you, mom used to live on the South Side. She had to survive any way she could until dad brought her into his life and they grew their business. Speaking of, I just found out that they worked with Hiram Lodge,” Melora spoke aloud for everybody to hear.

Aldren rolled his eyes at what his sister had reminded him of as he shoved past her and Oliver, quickly making his way up the stairs and to his room.

Claudia decided to go back to what they were previously talking about, possibly wanting to avoid her relations to the South Side or her working beside Hiram Lodge. Softly, accompanied with a worried look on her face as she watched her daughter, she murmured her concern, "sweetie, are you sure those friends of yours aren't... pressuring you into anything?"

Melora smiled gently at her concern, shaking her head. "No. And, that boy, Sweet Pea? The one I was holding hands with? We're not really dating, by the way... I just did that because I knew it would make dad uncomfortable."

"Dammit, I really like you two together!" Oliver whined, puffing out his bottom lip as Melora placed her toast in the toaster. "He seems much less scary around you, like you bring out this softer side of him, or something."

"I guess you could say that,” Melora chuckled lightly. "We might be becoming official, though. Not entirely sure yet." For a couple of moments, she paused, unsure if she wanted to ask or not—ultimately, she decided to ask because if she didn't, she'd never know. "Mom, dad... I know you're not fond of my Serpent friends, but you don't really know them. So, what if I invited them for a family dinner tonight?"

"Gang members in a fancy house with shit they could steal? Sounds like a great time," Richard grumbled. "Next thing we know, we'll wake up in the bathtub with all of our items gone and our organs ripped out."

"Oh, hush. I think that's a splendid idea," Claudia waved her husband off. "I'm making my infamous lasagna, too."

"For dessert, could you possibly make some brownies?” Melora grinned excitedly at her mother, placing her hands together at the possibilities. "It's kind of a thing, I guess."

"Uh... sure! How many are coming? Three, right?” Claudia inquired. "I need to know for table and food reasons."

"Yes, three,” Melora nodded with a smile. "Thank you so much, mom. I love you, but I have to go to school, and tell them about tonight!"

"See you after school, honey!"


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

"Oh, good, they're here," Aldren muttered in annoyance as Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni waltzed through the door. "Does this mean i'm going to get tackled and have my money stolen?"

"You know what, I think I heard Fang's mother telling me she wanted diamond earrings, so cough it up, bitch," Melora flipped off her brother with a teasing grin, which enticed a smirk from him. "What, it's better than you using your money to buy up an entire theater and buying every single goddamn snack there just for you and your stupid and entitled friends."

"Yeah, that's super pathetic," Oliver noted. "Also, leave Fangs alone. I will bite you."

"Oliver, stop obsessing over Fangs!" Anique giggled as she waltzed by, which escalated as Oliver watched her pass by into the kitchen with a small glare. "We know, you're in love with him."

"Says the one who flirted with him to his face. At least Mel has game," Oliver snickered lowly, earning a sigh from Melora herself. "Are we really going to do this 'every-time-Oliver-says-something-about-Melora-and-Sweet-Pea' glare thing every time I, you know, say anything about you and Sweet Pea?"

"They've stepped foot into this house for five seconds, and already they probably want to leave and never come back,” Melora groaned in embarrassment, looking over at the three with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, my family is nuts."

"Oh, honey... you should see mine," Fangs replied, laughing. "Also, why does two of four of your siblings have a crush on me? I thought Sweet Pea was the one who attracted everybody. Bad boys always get the girl… so why am I the one being hit on?"

"Sweet Pea is Melora's, we're not going to get ourselves killed," Oliver stated, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious. "I mean, you two aren't dating yet but, still, you're evil when you're jealous, Mel."

"Not only do I not own Sweet Pea, and therefore he isn't mine, but i'm not an evil jealous bitch, you idiot. If I was dating Sweet Pea—for the sake of an example—I would smile and wave at the person because he's mine," Melora clapped her brother on the shoulder with a big, fake smile. "You simply think that I'm evil because of that one time where this woman would not leave my man alone, so I grabbed her by her hair and forced her to get off of him. I have since then apologized."

"Damn, you did that?" Toni gaped at me, but it was more of a proud, smirk-gape than anything. "That's harsh."

"Yeah, but you also punched your brother in the face and dug through his pockets for money, you fucking moocher!" Aldren shouted from the living room, although soon he joined the small group by the front door. "Not jealous my ass—you remember when I first got a girlfriend and you clung to her because she took up most of my attention that you ended up making her break up with me? That was just cruel."

"I apologized for being such a cock block," Melora rolled her eyes. "What, are you gonna get revenge and take Sweet Pea from me? Because, honestly, I'd love to see you try."

"If I do, you'll know I've hit rock bottom," Aldren crossed his arms, eyeing Sweet Pea in the corner of his eyes, who sent him a mocking glare in return.

"If Sweet Pea is rock bottom, I want the middle of the Earth," Melora shot back. "Sweet Pea is a thousand times better than Reggie, so please stop stereotyping him and actually try to get to know him. Hey, spend the day with him and I’ll let you punch me in the face and take my money if it’ll get you to behave like a normal person."

"He's fucking my sister, do you think I trust his word with your pretty little mouth wrapped around his?" Aldren scoffed. "Yeah, sure. You could get any man to do what you want if you use your body."

"I love how you're trying to show that you don't like Sweet Pea, but you're also degrading me,” Melora grit her teeth. "Where's your wallet? I hope you kept it safe, because like I said, I don't regret it."

"Cute, but i'm just saying that you're really seductive, sis," Aldren placed his hands up in surrender. "You could get Sweet Pea to do anything if you sucked his—"

"Aldren, leave," Oliver hissed. "You're such a dick."

Aldren smirked. "I know."

"Ignore my brother, he's one of those wealthy assholes who believe they can get anything they want and treat everyone like shit and get away with it,” Melora sighed, giving the Serpents yet another sympathetic smile. "I'll show you guys around, and then i'll end in the kitchen so you can formally meet my parents."

 

 

 

"And finally, we have the kitchen. That's my mother, Claudia, and my father, Richard. Welcome to the Fahy household!" Melora smiled awkwardly, holding her arms up as if she had thrown confetti above her head.

"They've probably never seen a house this amazing," Aldren leaned in one of the chairs by the counter, smirking. "You know, because this is the North Side and not some stinky, disease-riddled trailer."

"I dare you to take Fangs' place for a whole fucking week, so how it is on the other side,” Melora sneered at him, “help take care of six other siblings, and actually be a good brother. Oh, you won’t? I fucking thought so, so either shut up or leave, because we do not need you here if you're going to constantly be a dick. I'm so sorry, Fangs..."

"It's okay, I know he couldn't last a day in my household," Fangs shrugged. "Besides, i'm kind of just blocking him out, so thankfully it's not that hard."

"Aldren, be nice or go to your room,” Claudia scolded him, only for him to groan in protest. "Or I can have your sister punch you again and take the rest of your money. Might I remind you that your father gave you an extra four hundred to make it an even thousand?"

"Fine. I'll behave," Aldren sighed dramatically. "But I won't like it."

"I still don't get how we're family,” Melora murmured lowly. "But, yeah... I hope this doesn't feel like i'm showing off, or anything."

"You're so afraid of what we think of you, Lora," Sweet Pea chuckled lightly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You need to chill."

"I'll try," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist to bring herself into his chest. "I also wanted to say thank you for coming with me to help Midge and Kevin. I really appreciated it, and haven't thanked you yet, so..."

"You two say you're not a couple, but you look like one—a damn cute one to be exact," Claudia started, narrowing her eyes at the two. "I need to know if I can bring out the embarrassing stories."

"Oh, God, mom... no."

"You should tell Sweet Pea about her first kiss."

"No!"


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

"Cheryl, thank you for inviting me to Pop's, really. But, you said you had something you wanted to tell me and it's been half an hour. Are you alright?” Melora leaned across the table to tenderly rest her hand on the girl's arm, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Please tell me you're not thinking about..."

"No, i'm not going to do that, not again," Cheryl shook her head, letting out a restless breath of air as she looked up at her friend. "How I felt down by that damned lake is a place I don't ever want to be ever again. Don't worry, Mel, i'm fine."

"You don't seem fine, Cher," Melora countered, crossing her arms in a disapproving, knowing way. "What's on your mind?"

"How did you know that you were..." Cheryl's voice grew so soft that the girl could barely hear her. She let in a shaky breath, eyes averting away from Melora's as she tried to gain the courage to ask her what it was she wanted to ask. "How did you know that you liked girls, too? That you were pansexual?"

Melora blinked a couple of times, taken aback. She had always had suspicions about Cheryl and her sexuality, but she never imagined that she would be coming to her for help. Smiling brightly, a relieved burst of air escaped through Melora’s lips. "Well, every time I looked at another girl, I would internally comment on their bodies, mistake my wandering gaze by pointing out what boys at school would like. As I grew up, I realized it was because I liked women, and because of my internalized homophobia, I disguised my likeness of women with that. Why, are you noticing some feelings for girls, Cheryl?"

"I think so." Cheryl sipped on her strawberry milkshake, avoiding Melora's caring gaze. "I don't know. It's very complicated."

"Well, sexuality is confusing. It takes—"

"—look at that, it's Kevin Keller," Cheryl interrupted, clearly too uncomfortable to continue with the conversation they were having. "I wonder what he's up to at this time of night."

"Thank you, Delores," Kevin's voice was distinct among the minimal chatter from the diner. Melora craned her neck to see him by the counter, grabbing a bag of food.

"Anytime," Delores responded, sending the boy a polite wave as he began to leave. "Have a good run, Kevin." It wasn't hard to see that he was going to go on a run, and considering what both Melora and Betty had confronted him about, he was lying to them about stopping. Her heart sunk, hurt by the betrayal. She got why he did it, truly, but after Midge and Moose, how could he go back into the woods with some random guy when there was a killer on the loose?

"He promised...” Melora whispered lowly to herself, unable to wrap her head around the fact that he had lied directly to their faces. Kevin was a great friend, really, but Joaquin leaving had really messed him up. And, to be honest, Melora herself missed Joaquin. She wished he could come back safely, because he doesn't deserve to be on the run, and in all honesty, Kevin needs him. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Kevin is in love with him. Still, that doesn't give Kevin the right to put himself in danger, and lie to his friends and compromise his safety. "I'm not in the mood to eat anymore, Cher. I'm probably just going to go—"

"Home? No, you're coming with me. I have to make a phone call, but if you want, you can get our cheese sticks to-go," Cheryl waved her fingers at the small plate of cheese sticks that the two decided to share before she got up and out of the booth. She smiled deviously before walking away, already calling whoever it was that she wanted to call.

"I have a feeling i'm going to regret whatever it is that you have planned."

 

 

 

"Guys, you're going to—“ Melora had tried to stop Betty and Cheryl from stepping in front of the trail that Kevin was currently jogging on because she knew he would get scared and she didn't want him to feel like that before they confronted him. However, it was too late; Betty had already snapped a twig, and Cheryl was shining her light into his face as if it were a warning for him to slow down. "Scare the shit out of him. Uh, hi, Kevin... just know that I was dragged along. I didn't want to do this—"

"Melora, stop trying to mask your hurt and anger," Cheryl sighed, cutting the girl off from speaking.

"What're... what're you guys doing here?" Kevin stuttered, taken aback as he came to a stop and took the earbuds from out of his ears.

"Cheryl called me and said it looked like you were going for a jog, headed towards Fox Forest." Betty remarked with an accusing, and slightly disappointed tone.

Cheryl pointed towards Betty. "Fact."

Betty took a couple of steps closer towards Kevin, as if she were talking to him privately, one on one. "You said you weren't going to do this anymore."

"For God's sake, Betty, what—what do you want from me?" Kevin asked incredulously, unable to believe that two of his friends were here, confronting him over his love life.

"I want you to have more respect for yourself than this!" Betty argued, which immediately brought Melora off of her side. Sure, she knew what Kevin was doing was dangerous, and she wasn't too keen on facing him like this in the first place, but he wasn't doing this because he had no respect for himself. That much was obvious—at least to someone who was also LGBT.

"Respect for myself?" Kevin reiterated, scoffing lightly under his breath.

"Yes."

"Betty, Kevin isn't meeting random guys in the woods because he doesn't have any respect for himself,” Melora crossed her arms, closing her eyes tightly as she extremely regretted ever siding with Betty. Sure, it was mostly because Cheryl dragged her out here, but she did have some points that Melora agreed with, and with how she was acting she almost wanted to defy her by doing the same thing Kevin was. Although, she knew that Betty wouldn’t bother to care enough to confront her all because Melora hurt her feelings from her not liking her and Jughead together.

"Look, we've been friends for a long time, but you still have no idea—" Kevin started off, only for Betty to interrupt.

"Well, then, tell me, Kev. Please!" Betty begged, demanding an explanation for why he had lied to her and Melora, why he would risk his life just to go on a date with some random guy in the woods at night.

"You act like we've got the same set of options, but we don't. You live in this pale pink world of milkshakes and first kisses and 'am I gonna date Archie or Jughead?'—"

Cheryl butted in, "except for when she's Dark Betty."

Kevin nodded in thanks at her addition before he continued on. "Right, right, right! Except for when you're exploring your BDSM sexuality. Which, again, you're allowed to do, but i'm not. Because, why? This is what I've got, Betty. Me, these woods. So, please don't come here and tell me it's disgusting. If you can't accept what I do, whatever I do, then we're just... we're not really friends."

Out of disgust and anger, Kevin swiftly turned around, leaving the three standing there, each with different reactions. Cheryl, of course because she loved creating chaos, almost seemed satisfied with how things went. Melora and Betty, on the other hand, watched after their friend longingly, feeling horrible. It seemed that Melora felt worse than the blonde did, though, because she didn't even want to be here in the first place, and now he was going to think that she had a part in this when she really didn't.

"Can we just go, please?” Melora spoke quietly, gulping down the harsh, burning feeling that rose up in her throat. "I don't want to have anything happen to me, so I can't really run away unless I want to risk being killed by the Black Hood."


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

"Oliver, I just want to warn you so I don't deck you right in the mouth; I am not in any mood to deal with anyone's shit right now, so please just let me enjoy my hot chocolate in peace,” Melora sighed at her brother as soon as he had slid into the booth opposite her, beside Fangs and Toni. Sweet Pea sat on the inside of her side of the booth, worried, but at the same time respecting her need to just have silence. She wanted companionship, but she didn't want to talk. She was thankful that the three allowed her just that. "If you're going to be an annoying smart ass, then you might want to take it somewhere else."

"Oh, no, you're in one of your guilty moods, aren't you?" Oliver sent the girl a sympathetic smile. "I'll be back."

"Don't waste your money on—"

“There’s nothing you can say, Mel. I’m gonna waste my money on you and that’s final."

"If you're going to use money on someone, pick one of the three in this booth that isn't me," Melora countered, rolling her eyes at her idiotic brother. "You know, nicely Aldren-them."

But by the time she had shouted that to him, he was already by the front counter, definitely ordering a big plate of delicious Super Fries: a wonderful mix of fries, guacamole, sour cream, meat, and melted cheese. It was normally used as a comfort food if she already had hot chocolate.

"I love how that's a thing now," Fangs whispered, eyeing the Fahy girl as he hoped she wouldn't go off on him like she had warned all of them upon meeting at the diner. Now that Oliver had, for the most part, broken through her bitter self hatred, she was at least semi-okay. "Aldren-ing someone."

"He isn't too fond of our new tradition, but I love it a lot," Melora chuckled lightly, barely lifting up a corner of her mouth to show her friends that she was beginning to be okay, that they were alright to speak and be their normal selves. "Lily needs money for a ball of yarn to create a blanket? I'm buying her a hundred rolls. Toni needs a whole new fucking bed? Let's go shopping! Fangs wants a large ass teddy bear just because? Let me cuddle with it for a couple of minutes, but I will definitely get you one, bud."

"You know us, we're too prideful to ask for money," Toni took a sip of her drink, "after we left you and Sweet Pea alone, Fangs literally spent a whole twenty minutes pacing back and forth, wondering if he should actually use the money, or return it to you without you noticing. Eventually, I forced him to just take it and get groceries."

"Speaking of when we left you and Sweet Pea alone," Fangs wiggled his eyebrows, glancing between the two lovebirds. "What happened?"

Melora and Sweet Pea met each other's gazes, embarrassed cheeks reddening simultaneously. "Uh... we star gazed, and then went inside to eat some of the brownies my grandmother made. Melora got to meet Lily, and apparently my real last name is familiar to her."

"You know someone with Melinda as their last name?" Toni's eyebrows furrowed, shocked excitement covering the features of her face. "That's awesome, now we can figure out how to rob them blind and give Sweet Pea the money he deserves from his apparently wealthy father."

"Well, it sounds familiar, I just can't remember,” Melora groaned, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "I can't stop thinking about it. It's on the tip of my tongue, too..."

"Here are your Super Fries, sweetie," Oliver winked playfully, sliding the bowl of super fries in front of his sister, who sent him a thankful smile despite the nickname he had called her. "Pop recognized your mood, and was already working on the order. So, what did I miss while you were coming out of your funk?"

"Uh, have I ever told you about anyone's mother having the last name Melinda?” Melora questioned him, using the fork she had in front of her to stab a couple of fries and gather up some of the condiments in one nice, flavorful bite. "I talked to someone about it at some point, I just can't remember for the life of me."

"Sorry, no... did you try asking Kevin?"

"Yeah, that's not going to work. He's actually the reason I was in this funk—well, it was my fault, but I still hold myself responsible,” the girl glanced down at the table, trying to keep the feelings at bay so she didn't temporarily shut down on her friends again. "Sometimes, being me really sucks."

"If you're trying to be tough, I will literally show Sweet Pea all of the videos I have of you during meltdowns over the smallest, most stupid things," Oliver gave his sister a narrowed gaze, while she glared at him, daring him to do just that. "I know you, Mel. You put on a tough front, but that's all it is."

"We all have fronts," Sweet Pea jumped in, arms crossing as he looked between Oliver and Melora. "Don't try and make her feel bad for having one. It's what protects us so that we can protect others."

A smile beamed brightly from Melora's lips at what Sweet Pea had said—it truly brought a tear to her eyes. Just the way he stuck up for her… she loved it. "So, Sweet Pea and I's wedding will be in October, on Halloween..."

"Don't get my hopes—"

“Oh, Melora!" The sound of Kevin's holler brought the girl's attention from the people in front of her, to the boy who stomped his way over to stand by the side of the table. "I originally came here to get some food, but seeing as you're here, i'm going to go someplace else. Probably TGI Friday's, or something..."

"You're going to go someplace else just because I'm here?" Melora blinked a couple of times, the tears that were previously for Sweet Pea's tender and understanding words now turning into a feeling of hurt and shock. "Kevin..."

"I'm sorry to say this in front of your friends, but I have to get this out," Kevin let out a deep breath before continuing. "Please, for the love of God, stop sending me texts. I've gotten every single one, but I refuse to talk to you and Betty—at least for right now. What you guys did... that wasn't cool."

"I already feel bad, Kevin. You don't have to shove my face into it even more,” Melora murmured, glancing away from his gaze as she tried to will the tears to go back in, to never have showed in the first place. "Like I tried to tell you, I didn't want to go out there with Cheryl and Betty in the first place. I get where you're coming from, I do, but I just want you to be safe, Kev. If it were you in that hospital... the thought of it kills me."

"It's not your job to worry about me," Kevin shook his head, arms crossed angrily. "Did you go with Betty to tell my father about it, too?"

"She fucking didn't...” Melora gasped, horrified at what she had just learned. "Kevin, i'm not Betty. I feel horrible for even showing up with them. Don't ice me out just for that, I couldn't take it if you hated me."

"I don't hate you, Mel, I just hate how you try to make everyone's business your business," Kevin's jaw tightened, watching as the tears freely fell down the girl's cheeks now. "You can't fix everyone. Are you only with Sweet Pea to fix him? I wouldn't doubt it considering how you are. You're such a hypocrite, hating Betty for butting into things she shouldn't, when you do the exact same thing."

"Fix Sweet Pea?" Melora cried through a laugh, tightening her hands into fists as she fought back the desire to lash out at Kevin fully. "What's there to fix? His obvious anger issues? His cold and stoic stance that he always has on him? The fact that people are literally too afraid to see him as a kid than some pissed off, knife slashing, North Side-hating criminal South Side Serpent? I feel horrible, and you're currently kicking me while i'm down and dragging Sweet Pea? I never figured you to be that bitch, Kevin."

"And you're attacking me for doing something you're doing. Trust me, dating a Serpent will only end in heartbreak."

"That's funny, coming from someone who literally thought Sweet Pea and I were cute a day ago,” Melora wiped at her eyes, forcing a chuckle through her emotions. "I get that you're hurt over Joaquin, and you feel like you're being attacked so you're pushing back, but you don't have to be such an asshole about it."

"Just tell Betty to leave me alone, too."


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

"Melora... are you alright?" Toni reached across the table to swipe her thumb caressingly across the skin of the girl’s shaking hands. "Please don't shut us out again."

"Every time I do something to help people, it just fucking blows back on me,” Melora whispered in despair, not even trying to hide the tears anymore. "Show interest in the infamous, constantly-angry Sweet Pea? I'm only doing it to 'save him’ or some shit. I care about Kevin going into the woods to hook up with random men while there's a serial killer, and he attacks me with one of my weaknesses even though it was all Betty and Cheryl's idea."

"Your weakness is your strength, Mel," Oliver stated, staring at his sister with a stern, yet somehow sympathetic expression. "None of your intentions are full of malice. Kevin is just angry and hurt, and he's taking it out on you. When he calms down, he'll apologize. That's how Kevin is."

"I know that, Ollie,” Melora groaned, running her tense hands through her curly hair in frustration. "But is he right, though? Not about Sweet Pea, because I don't see him as some project—I'm talking about me butting into everybody's problems. Is it just because I want to feel like I'm not a worthless piece of shit?"

The four's expressions dropped as Melora degraded herself. She had never really opened up like that to anybody—she normally just pushed it back until she forgot about it, or one night she just exploded and she would stay up all night sobbing and listing off every thing that she despised about herself. But, now she had to confront those feelings head on because she wasn't alone in her room this time, and she knew they wouldn't just leave it alone.

"Why would you ever think that?" Fangs questioned softly. "I don't see it as butting in, I simply see a caring friend who desperately wants to relieve people of their pain as much as possible. You do that by making it personal and taking somebody else's pain on as your own."

"As for Sweet Pea, you're not changing him. You're just bringing out a side of him that no one has really seen," Toni nodded with a small smile. "You care for him, and you want others to see him like you do. It could be seen as you taking him on as some stupid project but all that matters is that we know the truth, that he knows he's not some stupid pet project."

"Yeah," Sweet Pea leaned down, resting his head on Melora's shoulder as he placed a small kiss on her tender cheek. "When your friend comes to his senses, he'll come back and apologize. I'm sure of it. You're too cute to have somebody stay mad at you for something so stupid."

Fighting a blush, she sighed, "I hate fighting with people, but I can't control or help everybody."

"No, you cannot, so you just have to let it go and hope that it ends up alright," Toni shrugged. "Sucks, but that's life."

"God, i'm crying about my North Side problems to South Siders who have it so much worse than I do!” Melora laughed through a cry, wiping at her eyes as her friends simply watched her with pity. "I'm sorry, you guys... I never really let out these kinds of feelings to other people, especially in public."

"If Sweet Pea can punch somebody in the face for looking at him wrong, you can definitely vent out your frustrations in public," Fangs chuckled. "Some might judge, but they can't do shit without coming onto your warpath, now can they?"

"True, I guess, but they don't even know what they're getting themselves into. No one really knows what I can do, that I know how to fight and protect myself. Thanks to Tall Boy, you guys do, but if I go out and suddenly become this bad ass bitch that I want to turn into, everybody's going to think that the bad boy Serpent from the wrong side of the tracks changed me into the girl version of him,” Melora rolled her eyes, despising how other people thought, how they acted when it came to couples and who you were dating. It was barbaric and utterly stupid. "Now, obviously, I don't care, but I am not going to shove the whole North Side onto Sweet Pea just because we kissed."

"Just because you two want to date," Fangs corrected throughout a feign cough; he grinned slyly as he watched between Melora and Sweet Pea for their reactions. "Come on, it'll help get your mind off of what just happened, and help you two know exactly where you stand."

"You're into this relationship more than I am," Sweet Pea teased lightly, snatching a fry covered in melted cheese and guacamole before popping it into his mouth. "I'd rather steal her Super Fries."

"Mmhm, I'll split it with you if you give me a kiss," Melora murmured, sliding the tray of fries as far away from him as possible, even though he had arms that could wrap around her entire body and still manage to collect the tray. "C'mon, if i'm going to fix you up like everybody expects, you gotta get used to public displays of affection. No one expects the bad boy dating the good North Side girl to not be protective and jealous of any man who's eyes stray on her."

"Good girl," Oliver scoffed. "If only they knew you."

Sweet Pea flipped him off, then hooked his finger underneath the girl's chin. She wouldn’t tell anyone this, but she was mostly kidding about the kissing and the sharing because he could have some if he wanted to, but when he actually pulled through and placed a soft kiss on her lips with that silly smirk still on his face. Melora's eyes fluttered closed, reveling in his touch. Sweet Pea pulled away all too quickly for her taste, and to make it even more irking, he still didn’t let go of his grin. "I'll be splitting this with you, then."

"Sweet Pea does have a set of balls," Toni joked, dodging the sour creamed fry that Sweet Pea had tossed at her in a playful manner. "Sweet Pea doesn't seem the type to show PDA."

"Maybe you should get to know me better, Topaz," he chewed on another fry. "Like Melora... except without the cute dates. I don't want to spend any more time with you than I have to."

"Fuck you, Pea."

Melora puffed out her bottom lip and frowned at the faded pink, crossing her arms playfully. "That's my job."


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

Melora sat in the library before school, simply passing the time by checking out the new books that had been imported. So many to read, yet so little time with all that was going on in Riverdale. Who could sit down and enjoy a good book when there was a serial killer on the loose?

"Mel, hey," Kevin's soft, apologetic voice caused her to look up from the description she was reading to One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. "I wanted to apologize for what I said and did yesterday. I was just so embarrassed that Betty told my dad, even if he took it well. And to say all of that to your face in front of your Serpent friends, and Sweet Pea? I was being that bitch, and i'm very sorry."

She smiled gently, placing the book back onto the shelf where it belonged, truly happy that his "don't talk to me" mood only lasted for a day. Any longer, and she would probably have gone crazy. "I accept your apology, Kev. It hurt me a lot, but I understand what it feels like to be trapped in a corner by the people you love and care about. All you did was simply fight back—I can't blame you for that."

"Thank you, so much," Kevin sighed in relief, thankful that she didn't hold what he had said to her yesterday against him. He would hate himself, and try whatever possible to make it up to her if she didn't— he would have understood if she wasn't in the mood to forgive him, but now that she had, he was so grateful. "Now that we're good again, Betty asked me to meet her in the Blue & Gold, so i'm going to apologize to her, too. Do you want to come?" Raising his eyebrows expectantly, Kevin flashed her a kind smile as a show that everything was truly fine between the two of them. When Melora seemed unsure, he sang, "I'll buy you lunch..."

"Why do you have to know your way around my heart?" Melora sighed dramatically, although picking up a bright grin afterwards while she linked up her arm with Kevin's. "We're getting sushi at lunch; that little shop, Rokko's, down by the tracks is the best."

Snatching her backpack from the table she had claimed on the way out of the library doors, Kevin and Melora waltzed around the hallways, chatting about Sweet Pea. She confided in Kevin that she really liked the boy, and when the Serpent had stood up for her before Kevin himself had came in and started berating her, an actual tear sprung to her eyes because while the gesture was small, it meant so much to her. She also let him know that he didn't seem angry at Kevin for blowing up on her in front of them, which was a huge relief. He didn't want to piss off a Serpent—he knew how they were from his time with Joaquin.

And in return, Kevin had trusted her with his true feelings about Joaquin leaving, and what was currently going on with Moose. He liked Moose, a lot, but he missed the Serpent excruciatingly so—he missed being with someone who wasn't afraid to be with him, who made him feel loved and not as alone as he was used to. He missed his touch, his teasing kisses, he missed him. If only Joaquin could come back, not have to be in hiding at such a young age. He didn't deserve it, he didn't deserve any of it despite what he did.

By the time Kevin and Melora approached the door to the Blue & Gold, about five minutes had passed. It seemed that they had so much to talk about, yet so little time during school. But, Betty needed help, so they were going to be there for her even if they both currently weren't at a great place with her.

Kevin turned the door handle, politely allowing Melora to step through the threshold first. Then, he slipped past her and started off with what was on his mind. "So, Betty, telling my dad about me cruising the woods? Not cool. He even told my mom. Also, I've re-upped my online membership to redstatemeat.com, so there will be no cruising for the foreseeable."

His elongated sentence, however, was merely passed off. He sat down at the table in front of her, finding Betty stoic, almost too frightened to respond back to him, kind of like she was catatonic in a way. Melora chose the seat opposite Kevin, eyebrows drawn in worry for Betty as she briefly flicked her gaze over her. Surprisingly, Betty didn't seem to really care that Melora was there—normally, she would be reluctant to speak her true mind since Melora always had something to say about it, but since she didn't mind, it was clear Betty was currently reeling over something.

"Betty... what is it?" Kevin noticed her now, too, after he had finished with his tiny rant. Suddenly, his worries were the last thing on his mind.

Betty leaned back in her chair, preparing to tell the two what she was having a hard time processing. Slowly, she started, "I was going through the Blue and Gold's mail and I got a letter from the Black Hood killer. He says he's doing it for me."

A long, uncomfortable, and frightening silence fell between the three. With the letter now in Kevin's hands, he read it aloud. "Betty, your words at the Jubilee inspired me. The town's sinners must show their contrition. If not, there will be more suffering and bloodshed. Enclosed is a cipher, it details where I will punish the next sinner. It is a test: only you may solve it, Betty," Kevin finished, slowly looking up at the blonde in horror as she let out a deep sigh.

"My speech... inspired him. That stupid speech I wrote!" Betty's face twisted in horror, the idea that it was her words that essentially killed the victims was... incomprehensible. No one could blame her for what that did to her. It was awful to think about.

"So, the Black Hood was at the Jubilee," Kevin pointed out, hoping that would help lead to who was behind the mask.

"That doesn't narrow it down, the entire town was there!" Melora added, the stress of finding out about the letter, and the Jubilee being infiltrated by a serial killer raising a panic inside of her. No one deserved to die like that, especially at the hands of someone they probably know and trust. It was barbaric.

"We have to get this to my dad."

"The cipher, yeah, sure, but not the letter," Betty snagged the paper from Kevin's grip, "this is just for me. We can't tell anyone about it."

"Betty, you do realize that without the letter, the cipher is useless... right? The best thing to do would be to give this to the authorities so that they can handle it. We are children," Melora reminded the blonde, shaking her head as she knew Betty wouldn't listen, especially because it was Melora's words that were speaking the truth.

Kevin deadpanned, "it's evidence."

"Kevin, if we give this letter to your dad, he will tell my mom and she will make damn sure i'm nowhere near this," Betty told him, almost begging.

"Good!" He exclaimed.

"No!" Betty immediately stated, obviously not wanting to be taken away from the middle of something she most definitely should not be in the middle of. But, knowing Betty, she wasn't going to let this go. She was too stubborn, and too into the idea of her being a detective when she was anything but.

"You act like that's the worst possible thing," Melora reached across the table and gently placed her hand atop Betty's, unsure if she would jerk her hand away or not. When she shockingly didn't, Melora stroked Betty's soft skin with her thumb, much like Toni did to her yesterday, and suggested, "if you really want to stay involved, make a copy, send it to the Sheriff Keller, and work alongside each other. It's the best solution—the authorities are kept in the loop, and you can still be part of all of this since the Black Hood directly spoke to you, and you stay safe."

Betty shook her head, earning a disappointed sigh from Melora. Retracting her hand, she tried not to mentally hound herself for being unable to change the girl's mind. "This is a test. He said so himself—what if the start of the test is to see what I do with the letter? Do I share it, or not? Am I strong, or am I weak. Am I worthy?"

"He's a psychopath, Betty, and you are in high school, not the FBI," Kevin reminded her.

"Isn't it better that people focus on the cipher, rather than the letter?" Betty glanced down at the table, unsure how to go about this. With what her mind wanted, and what Kevin and Melora were suggesting, she was utterly confused.

"Like I said, Betty... without the letter, the cipher is useless. People will be focused on how to decipher it than who the Black Hood is, and our main goal is to stop his attacks, and figure out who he is. And, not to mention, that withholding information from the police is not only illegal, but it's stupid," Melora crossed her arms pointedly.

"Besides, even if you did go through with this, how would that even happen?" Kevin asked, almost as if he had given in to her idea, wanting to see where her crazy, frightened mind went. Melora internally cursed at him, because it would only give her something to go on.

Betty paused for a couple of moments, a knowing smirk making its way onto her lips, giving off a look Melora knew she wasn't going to like. "I've got an idea."


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

"Jughead, you better have something good if you're going to disrupt my after school snack," Melora answered the call, tucking her left arm under her right as she climbed into her car. "Or I will literally gut you."

"Whatever, go ahead and try. I just wanted to tell you that it's not safe for you to become friends with the Serpents," Jughead bit down on his lip, knowing that she was going to hate why. "I know we're not the greatest of friends, but it's better you get out now while you still can."

"What do you mean, Jughead? You make it sound like i'm going to join the gang or something," Melora rolled her eyes, because that was definitely not going to happen. Just because you happened to be with a gang member romantically, didn't mean you had to join it. "Spit it out already."

"This morning, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Toni and a couple of other Serpents were watching Archie's Black Hood video, and Sweet Pea was telling me that Fangs wanted to earn his Serpent stripes. In order to do that, he would have had to take out Archie," Jughead paused for a moment, awaiting the girl's response that he knew was coming.

Melora chewed on her bottom lip. “Right, Archie’s insane Black Hood video... please tell me you used whatever pull you have to stop Fangs from having to off our red headed hero."

"Yeah, no, of course," Jughead nodded, throwing a weird look to himself as he questioned why he had just nodded. "I told him it would have been too easy, and that if he really wanted to earn his stripes, he should take out the Black Hood."

"Okay... so why, exactly, do I have to unfriend them?" Melora cocked an eyebrow, growing impatient for what he really wanted to tell her. "I've been friends with Toni for half a year now, so she better have murdered my aunt in New York or something."

"Not that I know of, no, but Sweet Pea then told me that he didn't care about the Black Hood, that he thought he was doing the South Side a favor by only killing the North Siders. Might I remind you that you're a North Sider, and despite how close you two seem to have gotten, he doesn't seem to really care about you," Jughead sighed, hating to tell her like this. He was supposed to be researching, trying to figure out the Black Hood, to truly understand the way a serial killer's mind worked, but despite his tiff with Melora, he couldn't let her go all in to the budding friendship with the Serpents without knowing how Sweet Pea really thought. "I'm sorry."

Melora sat back in her seat numbly, staring out of the windshield as tears brimmed her eyelids. "Yeah, thanks, Jug." She knew he felt awkward about this, and that he was going to attempt and fail at making her feel better, so she quickly said, "bye," and hung up, not only to spare him the humility, but to allow herself to let a couple of tears out. She really liked Sweet Pea, but after what he had been through with her, with Midge and what she had confided in them about her own personal encounter with the Black Hood, she didn't expect him to simply believe that North Siders deserved to be killed. No matter what bad they've done, they didn't deserve to be killed—no one deserved to be killed.

She had to see Sweet Pea right now. Thankfully, it was the end of school and she had no extra curricular activities, so all that she needed to take care of was Kevin. During lunch, despite it hurting her quite a bit, he ended up having lunch with Moose in his hospital bed. Without arousing suspicion, lunch was pretty much the only time Kevin could be with Moose and not get caught by anybody, so they rescheduled for after school. However, now that she had called him again, and upon hearing Moose's voice in the background, tipped her off to the fact that he was still visiting him. "I see you're still with Moose. Um, some other time, then."

"I'm sorry, I just got so caught up, and I thought I'd be back before the last bell, and—"

"No, seriously, Kevin, it's okay," Melora let out a small smile, as if he could see the easy expression on her face that told him it was fine. Melora may have been disappointed in her friend because she knew how he was with Moose, and that it definitely turned into more than a comforting visit, but he was helping Moose cheat on Midge, and that wasn't right.

Before he was able to ask her what was wrong, she did the same thing she did to Jughead and mumbled a quick, "bye" before ending the call and tossing her phone onto the passenger seat. Still unable to wrap her head around the fact that the guy she was really into was okay with the fact that a man hiding behind a mask killing people was doing the South Side a favor, she started the car and managed her way out of the school parking lot, knowing that if Sweet Pea were to relieve steam after school, it would most likely be at The Whyte Wyrm.

The most horrific part of what she had learned about Sweet Pea and his thoughts, was that the Black Hood could have easily killed her. She wouldn't exist, and Sweet Pea just... wouldn't care. All because she was from the North Side—she got that he hated pretty much every North Sider in Riverdale because of how shitty they treated the South Siders, but to go so far as to say that they deserved to be brutally murdered? That was just... barbaric. He met Midge, he seemed to bond with her, so why didn't he care? Why didn't he care that Melora could easily have been one of the Black Hood's victims? Would he be glad that she was dead if he hadn't known her?

The thoughts that swirled around in her brain drove her crazy, so once she was safely at a stoplight, she put on her "Fuck Me Up Badly" playlist on Spotify containing songs that were loud, more aggressive, more up-beat to drown out her mind. Thankfully, it had seemed to work for the most part, but sadly for her, it began to crumble as she drove closer and closer to the South Side, to The Whyte Wyrm, to Sweet Pea. No amount of loud music, alcohol, or drugs could possibly stop her from overthinking what was going to happen next, now that she was about to confront Sweet Pea.

Blowing out a huff, she spoke to herself while looking a her reflection in the rear-view mirror, "good luck, Mel... you're gonna need it.”

 

 

Speaking of playlists on Spotify... I made one for Unholy/Swelora! Click [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/1250605882/playlist/1gqBxn2QBFDtmibPyOX7Sx?si=KBW4GklBSu-4r_yuykjSsA) to listen!

 


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

"Hey, Lora—"

"Sweet Pea, if you touch me, I'm going to bite your fucking fingers off," Melora snapped, her teeth clenching as she watched him take a step back, scrunching his eyebrows in wonder. "Jughead called me. Warned me that I shouldn't be friends with you, with any of the Serpents."

"Jones said—" Sweet Pea scoffed to himself, shaking his head at the boy he respected, yet wasn't very fond with. However, hearing this, his respect and loyalty towards Jughead may have wavered a bit. "Why are you mad at me for what he said?"

"Because that's not all he told me—he gave me a pretty damn good reason why I shouldn't be associated with you," Melora glanced around at the gang members around them—being at The Whyte Wyrm was probably not a good idea to start this. "Can we go someplace else? Somewhere we can speak more privately?"

"Are you afraid that The Serpents are going to do something to you?" Sweet Pea's confusion morphed into a soft, hurt expression, which was quickly turned into a stoic look for the sake of his reputation. "This must be serious, then. If you think it's going to anger or hurt me." His voice was quiet, and Melora was truly feeling for him because he seemed genuinely worried about what they had to talk about, but as he grabbed her arm and dragged the girl out of the bar, her hatred of being forced against her will spiked.

"Hey, let go! I am perfectly capable of walking myself," Melora snarled, the anger still bubbling under her skin. She was close to letting it out, but knew better than to unleash her fury on him where backup would be just a shout away. When he let go with a small, apologetic sigh, she sent him a nod, mentally telling him to continue to wherever he was taking her.

As they approached Sunnyside Trailer Park, she knew exactly what was on his mind. "Isn't your grandmother home?" Melora murmured, peeking up at him through her dark eyelashes. "I don't want to bother her."

"She tends to go grocery shopping around this time, so we should be alright," Sweet Pea replied lowly. After a short walk to his trailer, he opened the door for her and let her slide in past him.

"Oh, what a delightful surprise!" Lily smiled at the two, making Melora awkwardly avoid the woman's gaze. So much for grocery shopping.

"Grandma, I thought you'd be out shopping," Sweet Pea cleared his throat. "Melora and I wanted to speak privately, and I figured—"

"Oh, don't get your boxers in a bunch, I was just about to leave," Lily waved off her grandson. When she approached Melora, she made her look directly into her eyes by gently placing her hands on both of Melora's cheeks. "Whatever my grandson has done that you wished to speak to him privately, don't let him forget it. I like you, and I could use some help keeping him out of trouble."

Melora chuckled nervously, "I'll try to help, Lily." Patting her right cheek, Lily smiled and said her goodbyes as she left the trailer, leaving Melora and Sweet Pea alone. Now Melora felt obligated to stay, to help Lily, but after hearing what Jughead had told her, she was livid, and knew that not even his sweet grandmother could cease her from speaking her mind. She would always care for Sweet Pea, but learning about what he had said so insensitively? Nothing could stop her from giving him a piece of her mind.

"So, what did Jones say?" Sweet Pea sighed loudly, leaning up against the kitchen counter as he watched the beautiful girl flick her eyes to meet his. "What was so bad that you couldn't say it at The Whyte Wyrm?"

"He told me what you said this morning," she spoke softly at first, unable to believe that a guy she had fallen for would speak that way. "After my friend's video surfaced, you showed it to Jughead, laughing, saying that Fangs could earn his Serpent stripes by taking him out."

"You're mad at me for exploiting your stupid friend's actions?" Sweet Pea cocked his head back, sending the girl a confused look. "That's what all this is about? That was mostly just to rile up Jughead to force him to show that he's willing to do what it takes for the Serpents."

"No, actually," Melora shook her head, knowing that Fangs earning his Serpent stripes by killing Archie was wrong, but not what she came here for, exactly. "I'm mad—no, I'm fucking pissed that you said the Black Hood was a saint, all because he was doing you guys a favor by killing North Siders."

"I don't mean you, Lora—"

"Of fucking course you mean me, Sweet Pea!" Melora had bubbled over, and there was nothing he could say or do that would stop the flow of tears that glistened down her cheeks. "I know what most of the North Side thinks of you, how they treat the South Side, but wishing death upon someone is so fucking low. Nobody deserves to die." Sweet Pea stayed silent as she rushed over towards him, sobbing now. "I'm a North Sider, Sweet Pea. He passed right by me—the Black Hood could have easily killed me and I wouldn't be here right now," she cried, not wanting to imagine if her life had truly ended there by the entrance to Pop's.

"Lora..."

"And you were there with me when I was comforting Midge. Did you—did you seriously not feel bad for her or Moose at all? Even though she was nice, and sweet—"

"I'm talking about the North Siders who have taken everything away from me!" Sweet Pea interrupted with a loud, booming voice. She was shocked, not expecting his outburst at least until she was done. Leaning backwards as if to veer out of his line of fury, she watched as he continued. "I know you, and Midge, and Kevin are good people. But it doesn't stop or suddenly erase what the North Side has done to us. They blame us whenever something goes wrong, because we're their scapegoat. When I say I don't care that the Black Hood is killing people, I mean the assholes who allow us to be picked on and don't do anything about it. Not you, or Midge, or Kevin."

"Yeah, but he's killing kids. They are just following in their parent's footsteps—it's not their fault. But you do understand why I'm angry with you, right?" Melora replied, begging him to see her side, especially now that she kind of understood his. "Despite what they've done, Sweet Pea, wishing death upon someone is so fucking horrible. They might think the same for you, but you should be better than them. Because I know you are better than them, Sweet Pea."

"Better," Sweet Pea shook his head. "Maybe Kevin was right, I am just some fucking bad boy for you to fix. What, you're going to change me into some sweet guy? I’m going to be your trophy to show off? You would present me like some rare zoo animal, tell everyone ‘look at this bad boy Serpent who behaves like my little bitch’ and try and turn me into your perfect, fantasy boyfriend? Get the fuck out."

"You're turning this on me?" Melora swallowed thickly, letting out a huff of disappointment. "It fucking sucks, Sweet Pea, because I really do fucking like you. Like, a fucking lot. But maybe instead of being with someone who thinks i'm trying to change him instead of help him, I should just go back to when I didn't even know you." Melora turned around to leave, thankful that she hadn't placed any of her belongings anywhere that she would have to pick up, where she would have to stagger her leave.

Sweet Pea snapped bitterly, "yeah, go back to the North Side where you belong, and go back to Reggie."

Melora froze, horrified with what he had just said. "Reggie? You know what he did to me."

"Leave, North Sider."

Gritting her teeth and trying to bite back more tears, she shook her head at him in disappointment. "Fuck you, Sweet Pea. Fuck. You."


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

"These symbols look so familiar to me. It's like I've seen them before and it's driving me crazy—I can't figure out where," Betty ranted aloud to everybody in the room. That consisted of Jughead, who invited Toni, Betty, who invited Kevin, and then Melora, who was invited by Toni. When Toni first hit her up, she was afraid Toni had found out about her and Sweet Pea's fight, and that she was going to get an earful of either anger or support, but hearing the invitation to help out Betty, she was quite relieved—even though it was all for naught since Toni nor Jughead probably knew that there was a key for the cipher.

"Maybe if you loosened your ponytail..." Toni spoke. Melora watched as her three friends all froze, eyes landing on Toni as if she had killed their dog or something. When Toni noticed, she let out a nervous laugh. "what? That was a joke, guys."

"Betty's ponytail is iconic and beyond reproach," Kevin stated.

Melora noticed Jughead in the background laughing, clearly favoring Toni's lighthearted teasing to all of this serious, boring search for a cipher that no one but Betty would know about in the first place.

"Kev... it's fine," Betty reassured him, a hard exhale escaping past her lips. She reached up towards her hair and began to roll off her hair tie. "At this point, i'm willing to try anything."

"You know, to be honest, I wasn't expecting you to take that as a real suggestion," Melora commented, biting down on her lip. "I mean, normally you'd feel as if she had attacked you and you would push back. But, I actually kind of like your hair down, Betty."

Jughead focused the group back into searching for the cipher. "Well, per Mrs. Paroo's books, i'm looking for common letter associations like 't-h', 'a-n', 'i-n-g'..."

"I'm looking for doubles. Double l and four letter words like kill," Toni added.

Kevin noted, "that's morbid."

A small chuckle came from Melora's mouth at Kevin's comment. But, she was also noting how well Toni and Jughead worked together. It was interesting, and it only showed the more they responded to one another.

"We don't know if this thing's even in English," Jughead explained, shaking his head. "Guys, I mean, this could be an anagram."

"It's literally on the top of my brain..." Betty continued to rake her mind for where she knew the code from.

Seeing as everybody needed some help, Melora spoke. "Let's just go backwards a little bit. What do we know about this guy? Like, who is he?"

Toni input, "he's a white male, in his forties—like almost every serial killer ever."

"No, like, why is he killing people?" Jughead corrected. "Or, at least, why now?"

Betty looked over at Kevin, then gasped as if she had figured it out—but it seemed more like her realizing something from the talk her, Kevin, and Melora had in the Blue and Gold. "We know the Hood's obsessed with cleansing the town of sinners and hypocrites, right? And he seems to be attacking anyone with ties to the North Side."

"Here we go with the fake news again. You North Siders and your privilege," Toni chastised, "all you do is demonize the South Side, so of course you think the Black Hood's from there."

"It's not demonizing, Toni. It's stating facts," Betty shot back in that annoying, judging 'i'm right and you're wrong' tone that Betty constantly used. "There's way more drugs and gangs and—"

"—the drugs you mean which were sold primarily to North Side crackheads? And what about the North Side Neo-Nazis? The Red Circle?" Toni scoffed. "The Red Psychos, you mean. Hell, Betty, i'm surprised you haven't just come out and said it yet."

"Said what?"

"That you think the Black Hood's a Serpent," Toni shook her head, meeting Melora's gaze as if telepathically telling her that she finally understood why the blonde bothered her so much—she had now seen what everybody seemed to look over when they thought about Betty, and Melora was glad she wasn't completely alone anymore. "We all know how much you hate us."

Toni's eyes then drifted over towards Jughead, as if she were trying to get him to realize that his girlfriend wasn't who he thought she was—that in reality, she hated the South Side Serpents and he shouldn't be with her considering he was joining the gang.

"Okay, Toni—"

Betty's voice cut Jughead's off. "I don't hate the Serpents."

"Oh, yeah?" Toni snapped, her intense gaze floating towards Betty. "Then why is it that your boyfriend here lies about the fact that he sits with us at lunch?"

By the way Jughead let out a sharp breath, and Betty's body jolted in shock as she turned to meet his avoiding stance, Toni had just revealed yet another truth that they were keeping from each other.

"I'm gonna go..." Kevin spoke aloud, knowing that now Betty and Jughead had to talk about why he lied to her, and pretend to give a shit, and then kiss away the problem as if that would help.

"Yeah, you know what? I'm gonna get out of here, too. Melora, come on," Toni grabbed a hold of Melora's wrist, not even giving her a chance to decline. She didn't know about Sweet Pea and Melora, and that right now, the last place she wanted to be was near him. In his territory. Where anything could happen. But, right now she was angry and Melora had to be there for her—she was always there for Melora, and now it was time the favor was returned.

"Yeah, i'll walk you home," Kevin offered. But as Toni scoffed and dragged Melora behind her, he sucked in his lips awkwardly. "Or you can walk me home... um... bye guys."

"God, now I see why you hate that blonde, ponytail wearing bitch. She's so—ugh!" Toni growled, easing up on her grip as Toni and Melora exited Jughead's trailer. "Once we get to my trailer, we can hang there. Or, I can take you home."

"I don't think me staying would be such a great idea," Melora murmured. "I mean, I don't go here, nor am I a Serpent..."

"So? You're my friend, and I am not letting anything happen to you. And Sweet Pea and Fangs have your back, too. You’re very well protected."

Melora bit down on her lip, desperately wanting to tell her, but also knowing that right now she was angry, and telling her this news may make it worse, and that was the last thing she wanted. "I'll chill here. Mostly so you don't go and do something stupid."

"What, like put on a black hood and shoot North Siders?" Toni stopped in her tracks and bolted around to face Melora. "I thought you would side with me."

"What? I do!" Melora shot back. "I was joking—I was going to say that I was going to stop you from doing something stupid, like getting another best friend. Jesus, Toni, I know you're angry, but please don't take it out on me."

Her face softened. "God, i'm—i'm sorry."

"It's okay. If you have some chocolate rocky road, you can make it up to me. If not, i'd also accept a friendly session of hair braiding and nail polishing—girly shit like that."

“Deal. I could use a girl’s night, too… hopefully with more alcohol. Should we hit up the store, maybe steal some shit for kicks? You’re a North Sider and rich, so you can get off easily if we’re caught,” Toni smirked.

“Mmhm… sounds kind of fun. If I smuggle alcohol, you’re sneaking snacks, then.”

“Of course."


	30. Chapter Thirty

“I got the snacks. In a minute, go in and buy us some alcohol,” Toni snickered, wiggling her eyebrows. “Ugh, I love having a beautiful best friend with a great fake I.D. and lots of money. Plus, you never heard me say this but one area where North Siders have it better is that you can actually pay for an extremely convincing I.D. Who’s your older persona, Mel?”

“My name is Katerina Edison, I am a fashion and social media expert at the infamous River Magazine, and I have a hot, Islamic photographer girlfriend. God, I wished I had that life,” Melora laughed. “And if anyone presses further, my girlfriend’s name is Adena.”

Toni cooed. “You really have it all figured out, I’m so proud of you for not being a stupid North Sider.”

“Yeah. I got this when Reggie and I were dating, and he was peeved that my backstory included me having a girlfriend because, you know, we were together, but he fucked up and I had to go and buy us some weed, so now he makes sure to have a whole story for just in case,” Melora shrugged, knowing she was better than him for having her shit figured out. “Besides, it’s fun to not be yourself for awhile. Lord knows I fucking need it.”

“I’m Sarah Fox, a kickass babysitter,” Toni chuckled. “I should probably expand my story, huh? Make it more believable? How about I babysit a boy named Ethan, and I have a girlfriend named… I don’t know… Stefanie?"

“Ooh, hell yeah, girl!” Melora cheered, imaging Toni actually living that life. "So, I’m going for sweet red. Any other preferences?”

“White wine is fun, and delicious,” Toni pursed her lips, not entirely caring about what the girl gets as long as it was alcohol. “Okay, it’s been enough time. Go.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Melora stuck her tongue out at the girl playfully. She fingered the fake I.D. in her purse all the way until she got to the convenience store. On the South Side, they didn’t really have specific buildings for alcohol like the North Side did, but this would be much easier because they cared less so about whether you were over twenty one. However, that didn’t mean you wouldn’t get busted. Melora let out a deep breath of confidence before retracting her hand back to her side and stepping into the store. If she didn’t give off a nervous aura, she would be fine. She looked older than she looked, so all she had to do was not fuck up.

Walking to the back of the store, she bit down on her lip thoughtfully, eyeing the different bottles of wine displayed in a circle. Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Merlot, Pinot… there was so much to choose from, she was slightly overwhelmed and anxious about which one to get. Since it was officially a girl’s night for her and Toni, and she was going to tell Toni about what happened with her and Sweet Pea earlier, she wanted something delicious and enjoyable, but something they would get drunk on. Toni would yell less if she were under the influence.

The bell sounded, announcing another obviously rowdy group of friends coming into the store. “So, what are we getting, boys?” Sweet Pea’s all too familiar voice brought a cold chill down Melora’s spine. She prayed neither of them would recognize her hair.

A voice she didn’t knew was next to speak in the empty convenience store. “So, what the fuck did this bitch say?”

“Hey, she’s not a bitch,” Fangs snarled. “Don’t fucking call her that again, you hear me, Rocco?”

“I don’t fucking care, she hurt Sweet Pea—“

“—she didn’t hurt me,” Sweet Pea growled defensively. “You guys don’t even know what happened.”

Melora chewed on the inside of her cheek, knowing she was about to hear him explain to Fangs and this other friend who clearly didn’t like her for some reason what happened between elm, and unless she wanted to bring unwanted attention to herself, she had to keep them from noticing her as they neared the back to check out the beer—just ten feet from her.

“For the record, I’m the one who ended it, and kicked her out,” Sweet Pea started, playfully shoving Rocco. “Jughead told her about what I said this morning, about how the Black Hood was doing us a favor by killing North Siders, and she took it personally. She was pissed.”

“Well, to be fair, Sweet Pea, she is a North Sider,” Fangs countered. “And yeah, they usually suck but she’s different. She’s—“

“—it’s not my fault she took it wrong, Fogarty,” Sweet Pea interrupted, clearly growing irritated with his protection over the girl he was currently trying to forget. “Rocco, did Jinx say anything about meeting up tonight?”

“Hey, don’t forget that I warned you, SP. Jinx is a better fit for you than that North Side slut—she doesn’t care what you think as long as you fuck her good,” Rocco laughed, as if that were a normal, not-bad-at-all statement. "I heard your little North Sider used to be that punk Reggie Mantle’s bitch. Whatever he wanted her to do, she did. I think there might be a video of her giving him a BJ. It’s a good thing you kicked her out because Jinx hasn’t shut up about you since she found out you had your sights set on that North Sider. Now that she’s gone…”

“Yo, man, just shut the fuck up,” Fangs snapped. “Jinx has wanted Sweet Pea for awhile now, and he hasn’t been interested until earlier today after his fight with Melora. As his best friend, I can’t let you ruin his life by adding her into the mix. He’s upset about Melora, and—“

“Fangs, just chill out, will you?” Sweet Pea sighed. “Grab a beer, let’s just hang out and talk about anything else. Please. Stop talking about Melora.”

“No, because you’re acting like a little bitch! Melora is a great girl, and I know you really like her,” Fangs crossed his arms pointedly, glaring at Rocco as he was prepared to speak up against Melora. “You told me you don’t want people to think that you’re as tough as you come off as, that you want a girl to love and spoil and be in an actual relationship with… you know she’s the one who won’t see you as some asshole South Side Serpent. Just talk shit out with her, no matter what happened earlier.”

Melora grabbed a bottle of Pinot Noir. She turned it in her hands, as if examining it. Mostly, however, she just wanted to not look suspicious to the three boys.

“Jinx is literally waiting for Sweet Pea to fuck her right—“

“That’s fucking gross, man,” Fangs curled his lip in disgust, waving him off. “Sweet Pea, I can’t stop you from doing something stupid, but if you really want to be the guy you want to become, Jinx isn’t it. Melora is a great girl, and we may not know of her past, but does it really matter? She’s beautiful, and caring, and she’s a North Sider who can actually spark a fucking change, man. Don’t let that shit go.”

“The only thing that slut’s good for is her body, and her money,” Rocco exclaimed. “Hey, maybe you can make things good with her again and get the privilege to fuck her, but when she’s sleeping, take her shit and sell it. She don’t need it.”

“The thing about Melora is that she’d give it to you if you asked,” Fangs retorted. “She fucking decked her brother in the face and stole his cash to give to me, to help my mom. And she doesn’t deserve to be called a slut, Rocco—call her that again and I swear to God…”

Rocco ignored the boy. “Is she good in bed?”

“Totally. She’s really dominant, though. I’m not a big fan of it, but that’s what you do, right? Make the women feel like they’re in charge?” Sweet Pea laughed.

“Fuck, you’re too mad to think straight, Sweet Pea,” Fangs shook his head in disgust. “I’m fucking out of here, I’m going to go see what Toni’s up to. You can fuck up your life even more but leave me out of it.”

“Aww, come on, Fangs!” Sweet Pea sighed, following after the boy. “Don’t be like that. You’re my best friend!”

Melora snagged another bottle of wine, quickly choosing a Riesling, before making a beeline to the counter. She knew he would ask for her I.D., so she placed the bottles down and whipped out her wallet, which displayed her fake I.D. According to that, she was twenty three. It seemed believable enough—all that mattered was that he bought it, and he did, when he input the prices into the cash register.

“Fifty seven dollars.”

She handed him the cash, and was quick to grab the bottles and pace her way out of the door. Thankfully, Toni had moved a bit closer to the store, so she didn’t have to walk that far to reach her friend. 

“Hey, I saw Sweet Pea and Fangs and Rocco past by—“

“Please, let’s just go.”

“What? Oh, God, what did Sweet Pea do now? Rocco is a very bad influence on Sweet Pea and over all a bad guy and he’s not normally himself when he’s around him,” Toni informed the girl. However, she didn’t care. “Please, can we just…” as her eyes drifted over towards the group of three, she was surprised to see Archie’s iconic red hair blazing in the dark by the end of the street. “Drive forward, please. I think that’s… I think that’s Archie."

Toni did as told, and rolled beside the group, proving Melora right. Archie held a gun towards Sweet Pea’s head. “Who made a mistake? Who made a mistake?”

“Archie, what the fuck?” Melora gasped, flinging the door open to break Archie out of his fixated stare on the Serpents. “Archie, put the fucking gun down.”

“Melora? What are… what are you doing here?” Archie’s eyebrows furrowed in wonder. “Why are you on the South Side?”

“I’ll tell you if you lower the gun, and back away from Sweet Pea,” Melora demanded, slowly inching toward her friend and hoping he hadn’t gone absolutely insane.

When he finally did, she let out a breath of relief. “I’m here because I’m friend’s with Toni. We were having a girl’s night and I was, uh, buying shit and I come out here to you pointing a gun at Sweet Pea? What the fuck, Archie?”

“I have to protect myself, don’t I?” Archie argued. “After my father—“

“I get that, but you do realize you’re on Serpent territory, right? Sweet Pea is a loyal Serpent, and of course he’s going to call you out for—is that a fucking red circle? Jesus, Archie… I get that you’re scared and acting out because of the Black Hood, but instead of doing whatever the fuck this is, maybe you should get some help, instead,” Melora suggested.

“The Black Hood is targeting—“

“North Sider’s, I know,” Melora interrupted, sending Sweet Pea a quick glance at the subject of their fight from earlier. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a South Sider. Without proof, you’re just an asshole North Sider once again blaming the South Side.”

“What, are you in love with a Serpent? Is that why you’re so protective over them?” Archie asked.

“Me? In love with a South Sider?” Melora laughed, despite the fact that she did really like one of them, she wasn’t at the love stage yet. And even if she were, she wouldn’t let Sweet Pea know that. “No. To them, I’m just some hot sex and money. While I’m sleeping, they could take my shit for all I know.”

“Mel…” Sweet Pea whispered lowly, realizing that she had overheard their conversation. She gave him a look that told him they would speak later.

“Archie, get the fuck out of here, and get rid of that gun or so help me, I’ll call Sheriff Keller myself and make him take it from you,” Melora crossed her arms, disappointed her best friend.

“Fine. But be careful, Mel… Serpents are dangerous.”

“Oh, please, Archie… all snakes have soft underbelly’s."


	31. Chapter Thirty One

Toni awkwardly parked the car in front of her trailer, biting down on her lip as the silence that had taken over since the three Serpents and Melora had piled into to chipping off-white vehicle. It was much more evident now that the engine wasn't running. "So... what happened?"

"Can we please get into this wine, first?" Melora sighed, holding one of the bottles up. "We can even have the sweet wine, first. White is more of an after-dinner thing but we can skip that."

"Can I join the pity party?" Fangs voiced with a hopeful, playful grin stretching on his lips. "Getting drunk seems pretty fucking good right now."

"Ooh, count me in," Rocco smirked.

Melora scoffed, turning around to face the boy in the middle. "The only way you're getting any is when I waste it all by pouring it over your head, you dick."

"What did Rocco say in the store?" Toni questioned, concerned for how drastically different her friend's mood had become. "I swear to God..."

"In the trailer," Melora mumbled to herself, feeling miserable as she had wanted to be super drunk when telling Toni the story, and now having more to add that made her feel much more miserable than she already was didn't seem that great. "See you in the kitchen."

As Melora grabbed the two bottles of wine and swiftly made her way into the Toni's trailer, Toni herself turned around to give the boys a glare. "What the fuck did you guys do?"

"Sweet Pea's kind of high and taking advice from Rocco, the last person he should be taking advice from," Fangs sighed. "Rocco was calling Melora a slut, and a whore, and trying to set Sweet Pea up with Jinx. In front of Melora, even though we didn't know."

"Why the fuck are you trying to set him up with Jinx if he's about to start dating Melora?" Toni grit her teeth at Rocco, who laughed at what she had said. "What's so funny?"

"She didn't tell you what happened? I guess I can add 'bad friend' to the list of reasons why she shouldn't be near our boy," Rocco slid his tongue across his lips. "They had a fight earlier today and Sweets wants to get over her."

"That's why she's been off all day..." Toni whispered in realization to herself. "Fuck, that's probably why she was so into having a girl's night, she was going to tell me later tonight."

"Let's just go inside, have a couple of drinks, and talk this out," Fangs suggested. "You know, without Rocco trying to ruin everything Sweet Pea has been trying to do for himself."

"What?" Rocco gaped at the fellow Serpent, appalled. "Leave me out of free alcohol? I don't care if it's girlie shit, I want to get drunk."

"Then go get drunk somewhere else," Fangs snarled, grabbing a hold of Sweet Pea's arm and dragging him out of the small back seat of Toni's corolla. "Come on, Pea."

"Fine, fine," Sweet Pea sighed, shrugging the boy's fingers off of his arm. "I'm coming. Sorry, Rocco, but you can find something else to do."

Rocco glared at the three as they all exited the car. "Fine, fuck you, Pea. They're just going to brainwash you into getting back with that slut."

"Don't you ever call her that again," Toni snarled, gritting her teeth angrily.

"What? It's true. Haven't you seen the video her ex boyfriend posted?" Rocco rolled his eyes. "I bet her pretty little mouth wrapped around my dick would feel real nice, but I wouldn't trust her. She was probably passed around after the video ended."

"Video?" Toni mumbled in confusion. She knew that Melora would never want such an intimate moment that she shared with someone she cared about to be taped, and especially sent around. "Fucking leave, Rocco."

Rocco lit up a cigarette and flipped the girl off as he stalked away from her trailer.

The three walked into the trailer to find Melora pacing around the kitchen on the phone. "What fucking video, Reggie? When did you take a video of me giving you a fucking blow job? That was one time! And just because you saw me with Sweet Pea, you wanted to try and fuck it all up? I never realized you were this insecure!" Melora screamed, fuming. "But, you know what, it's over, anyways, so it was all for nothing."

Toni watched her friend wipe away her tears, feeling sorry for her. "Fuck... what a douche move. Isn't that illegal, though? Couldn't you call the police, or something, for underage—"

"You never took a video of us? Then, who the fuck..." Melora ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "People think I'm a slut just because I'm fucking someone who was, at the time, my boyfriend. Figure out which one of your disgusting friends did this, and get back to me. If you don't, I swear to God..." she paused, listening to Reggie. "Even if I was actually dating Sweet Pea I would have no reign to send the Serpents after you. If you're so afraid of them, though, then maybe you should stop calling them South Side scum. The only one who really qualifies for that is this bitch named Rocco."

"We'll deal with that fucker later," Toni voiced.

"Okay, bye, Reggie... talk to you later. And if I find out you're lying to me, I'll literally come after you myself."

With that, she hung up the phone and looked up at her best friend, a miserable whimper escaping past her lips. She ran over to Toni, embracing her in a hug. "Apparently one of his friends recorded us and I guess I did something to piss him off and so he released the video."

"That's so fucked, Mel," Fangs joined the hug, rubbing her back soothingly. "I'm sorry, and for Rocco and what he said in the store..."

Melora pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "Doesn't matter. Can I pop this wine open, now? Please?" Toni nodded, stepping back to allow her to use Toni's uncle's opener. "So, what do you want, first? What happened earlier this morning, or in the store?"

"Start from the beginning. What did this idiot do?" Toni asked, sending a narrowed look over at Sweet Pea. "Be aware, though, he's been with Rocco, so he's probably high on some weed and under Rocco's misogynistic influence at the moment."

"She confronted me over what I said to Jughead this morning," Sweet Pea started, sighing as he crossed his arms defensively. "About the Black Hood. She thinks we meant her specifically."

Toni's face dropped as she turned to her best friend. "Oh, Mel, we don't want you to die—"

"That's the thing, Toni, you technically do," Melora ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She took a big chug from her glass. "Forgetting the fact that you shouldn't wish a brutal death on someone because it is wrong, I am a North Sider whether I want to be or not."

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to be a South Sider, blamed for every fucking thing you do," Fangs input lowly. "You have a much better life and privilege being born on the North Side, even if it can be shit, too."

Melora continued, hearing what he had said but ultimately knowing that it didn't matter to what she was going to explain to them. "I care about you guys. A lot. And knowing that you don't care who dies makes me think of what would happen if the Black Hood had killed me outside of Pop's. Sure, I knew Toni at that point, but I didn't know the two of you—if I died, the guy i'm falling for would probably celebrate with a beer or some shit because a North Side rich bitch was killed."

Toni gaped in shock, her mouth opening and closing, unsure of how to respond. "Melora... I..."

"You can't say anything because you know i'm right. You guys think Sweet Pea and I are cute, or whatever, but if I died, you can't say that he wouldn't be happy that I was dead simply because I was born on the other side of the tracks, born to a family who doesn't even seem to fucking want me," Melora watched the three avoid her gaze as best as they could as she cried, not even bothering to wipe the tears that streamed down her cheek anymore. "So, go ahead and tell me that you don't want me, exclusively, to die, but what about Midge? Kevin? Veronica? The people I love and care about, sure, they think you are all criminals, but that's because we're all raised hearing about the 'South Side scum' that draw graffiti, do and sell drugs, or bring havoc to Riverdale, and that's not our fault when it's been drilled into our heads. And just because we were born on the North Side, and we don't tend to have to worry about much like you guys do, it still sucks there."

"Yeah, but—"

"Do we really deserve to die because a lot of us are raised wealthy assholes by our parents?" Melora continued, knowing what she was about to bring up. She didn't need to hear it. "I wish I could change the North Side's mind about you guys, but I'm not that great. I'm not that powerful. And kids don't deserve to die for being born rich. So, you get angry at North Siders for judging you, but you're doing the exact same thing."

The trio were silent for a couple of moments. "I'm sorry," Sweet Pea finally whispered, taking a harsh gulp before meeting her gaze to show her just how sorrowful he felt. "Really. I never really thought about that—I'm just filled with so much rage about what has been taken from me that I wasn't thinking about anyone but myself."

"You can have your own opinions, Sweet Pea," Melora chuckled through her quivering lips, taking a couple of steps towards him. "But forget what the North Side thinks of you. If they think that you are some destructive, murdering druggie, you could rise up and prove them wrong. Because I know you can. You can think whatever you want... but don't wish death upon anybody. That's all that I was mad about, honestly, but after the store? You fucking disgust me, Sweet Pea."

"What did you mean when you said that your family doesn't even want you?" Fangs spoke up softly. "I didn't know North Siders had those kinds of problems."

Melora rolled her eyes at his tiny smile that showed he was slightly teasing to ease the tension in the room. "Yeah, well, i'm more concerned with the fact that my friend Archie pulled a gun on you guys."

Fangs poured himself a drink. "Please tell us why you think your family doesn't want you."

Sighing, Melora admitted, "It's just... my parents act like Oliver is their favorite. Anything I do is never good enough to make them proud of me, and my siblings act like they're annoyed by my very existence. Of course, that's kind of their job because they're my siblings, but i'm basically the black sheep of the family, and I don't know exactly why."

"Well, that's one thing we have in common," Toni chuckled lightly, wrapping her arm around the North Side girl as a way to show her that they were in this together. "Nothing you do can ever be good enough for anybody. You just have to get used to it. We Serpents could literally clean up Riverdale and focus on our studies, and we'd still be framed for selling drugs when it's the Ghoulies who do that."

"And i'm guessing this is why you gave this stupid rich bitch a chance," Melora wiggled her eyebrows teasingly as she downed the rest of her wine.

Sweet Pea leaned into Fangs with a smirk. "Tomorrow Fogarty, a couple of our buddies, and I, are going to the North Side to settle the score. If he thinks he can get away with threatening me on my own turf, your red headed friend is stupid."

"So, what did Sweet Pea do in the convenience store?" Toni inquired, creating yet another awkward silence. "Oh, come on! I'm not going to be the only one out of the loop. I refuse."

Melora poured herself another glass as she sent Sweet Pea a bitter smile. "Well, I learned that Fangs is a true friend, who actually stood up for me when Rocco was calling me a slut and a whore and telling Sweet Pea the only thing I'm good for is my money and my body. Sure, I'm annoyed that Sweet Pea did nothing, but the fact that you told him what we did together... you don't do that shit. And you didn't seem to hate the fact that I was more dominant than you—you enjoyed it, actually."

Sweet Pea sighed, gulping harshly as he grabbed a glass and began to pour himself some alcohol. "That was a lie. I was just trying to get him off my back—if he knew that I actually enjoyed you being dominant, he'd never shut the fuck up. I'm sorry, Mel."

"Don't call me that," Melora snapped. "You don't get to call me shit since you let him berate me like that. Fangs has no reason to stand up for me, yet he did because he's a good guy. If what Fangs was saying was true, that you want to change, then there's no one better than him to learn from."

"Melora..."

"Fuck off, Sweet Pea," Melora shook her head, done with his attempt at excuses. "You get angry at me for trying to help, accuse me of trying to change you, when that's exactly what you want to do? No, fuck you, you can help yourself."

"I really do like you, Melora," Sweet Pea exclaimed. "Rocco, he's just—"

"Stop blaming him, Sweet Pea! Own up to your fucking mistakes," Melora rolled her eyes, sipping at her second drink. "The only thing you like about me is my body, right? I refuse to give myself to you anymore, so maybe try Jinx—I heard she's looking for some fun, so go try her, instead."

Sweet Pea argued, "I don't like you just for your body, Melora. You're so smart, and deep, and you're just... so perfect to me."

"I'm not perfect, no one is," she shook her head. "If you truly believe that, you're going to have to prove it. But not tonight—tonight's girl's night."

"And she's not even drunk yet," Toni murmured as she drank a bit of her wine. "Tonight should be... interesting."


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

"Hello, is there a Melora here?" Both Melora and Toni, who were buzzed at the moment and giggling uncontrollably, overheard through the cracked windows. Melora's eyebrows drew in confusion, not entirely sure who's voice was asking for her.

"Veronica, Melora's in Toni's trailer, c'mon!" Fangs distinct, panicked voice exclaimed. When there were four sharp knocks, the two girls suddenly became all too aware of the situation. Melora used the arms of the chair to hold herself up. She walked over towards the door, stretching her fingers as her body tingled with alcohol. Melora opened the door. "Melora! Thank God I found you."

"I'm just having a girl's night with Toni," Melora uttered lowly. "What's wrong? And why is Fangs with you?"

"I'm really worried about Archie... he asked me to retrieve a gun from the school. He told me that he wants to kill The Black Hood and since he thinks it's a Serpent..." Veronica bit down on her lip, letting herself into the trailer and began to pace back and forth. "The Bulldogs came in, grateful that Archie didn't rat on Reggie about the hood in his locker, and then to make everything worse, the Serpents came to the door. They're going to fight, and Fangs knows Sweet Pea isn't in his right mind right now."

"Wait, you let them all go when your boyfriend has a gun?" Toni gaped at the raven haired girl, appalled.

"Of course not, I kept the gun and at least made sure they didn't use any weapons, but Dilton's there, and knowing him..." Veronica trailed off, waiting for Melora to connect the dots. Everyone knew Dilton and his affinity for guns—he was a survivalist, and he wouldn't care about the rules as long as he survived.

"Fuck. Uh, where are they fighting, V?" Melora's dazed, tipsy state washed off of her as she stepped into the rain, worry growing over her.

"I'll take her on my motorcycle. Topaz, stay here, we don't need you getting in trouble with us," Fangs told the girl, knowing she wouldn't like it. "Please, you know this is going to go wrong, but if any of us are caught, all that matters is that the legacy is here to help run the Serpents smoothly, alright?"

"Good thing I could care less what Sweet Pea does right now—he's being an idiot," Toni murmured. "I'll see you with more alcohol when you get back, Mel."

"If I get back," Melora joked lowly, grabbing onto Fangs' hand and allowing him to drag her behind him. Veronica's car door slammed shut as Fangs tossed his right leg over the seat, and then maneuvered Melora onto the back of his bike. "If Sweet Pea asks, I don't give a shit about him, and the only reason I'm coming to the Serpent's aid is because you asked, and my friend is being adequately as stupid as he's being."

Fangs nodded in agreement. "Hold on tight."

 

 

 

 

 

Melora and Fangs arrived a little bit before Veronica. The rain didn't bother her at all—it actually helped in keeping her sober enough to function as if she had never drank any alcohol in the first place.

"God, Sweets is really fucking up Archie. But, if you go in there—" Fangs stopped, holding Melora's wrist back as he gave her an incredulous look. "You can't intervene. You might get hurt, and I won't let that happen to you."

"Then what was the point of bringing me, Fangs?" Melora growled as she pulled herself out of his grip, the force bringing her clashing into the ground. Groaning in pain, she held her arm and stumbled her way over towards where Archie and Sweet Pea were fighting. "Sweet Pea, stop!"

Over the sounds of the pounding rain, and the fighting, Sweet Pea couldn't hear her—at least, she hoped he wasn't ignoring her on purpose.

Reaching her hand out to hold Sweet Pea's shoulder, she fell onto him. He turned, surprised, but was quick to react as he held her in his arms. "Melora? You're bleeding, what—"

"Please, stop," Melora coughed, glancing down at Archie with despair. "Both of you. Just... stop."

Sweet Pea's face contorted to a caring, yet internally confused expression. He wanted to stop, for her, but he couldn't just pretend like Archie didn't cross into Serpent territory, tag their turf, and point a gun at him.

However, the choice was made for him when a shot rang out. Melora squealed in surprise, involuntarily burying her head into Sweet Pea's chest. "Please tell me you're okay," she mumbled, desperately hoping that a bullet hadn't of grazed him. If this were a movie, because of their embrace, it would definitely be him getting shot while protecting her—despite how mad she was at him, that was the last thing she wanted. Breathing in the wet raindrops that soaked his shirt in relief when she felt him grab a hold of her hand, she looked up at him. His dark eyes were filled with panic, and he watched as his fellow Serpents ran away after the gunshot had rang out. Archie even managed to crawl his way over to Veronica. She could hear Fangs' start his motorcycle, and he drove up to greet them. "Come on, we're all leaving before the cops are called. We're going back to Toni's. Whoever Dilton is, he was stabbed."

"Stabbed? But, none of us have any weapons, it was a part of redhead's girlfriend's rules," Sweet Pea furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Shaking his head of the thought for now, he placed Melora on the back of Fangs' bike, and sent her a reassuring smile. "Our bikes aren't that far away. I'll meet you at Toni's."

"If something happens in that small amount of time, I'll kill you myself, Sweet Pea," Melora sniffled, winding her arms around Fangs' lean body. "Can you even drive safely?"

"Of course. Your boy, Andrews, is a weak little bitch," Sweet Pea smirked. "I could totally have taken him if his girlfriend hadn't gotten involved."

"Okay, enough chit chat," Fangs growled. "Let's go. See you at Topaz's, Pea."

With that, Melora lurched backward as Fangs accelerated, weaving through the fog and being mindful of the Serpents still running back to their bikes. While he worried about accidentally hurting a fellow Serpent, Melora chewed on the thought of how quickly her feelings for Sweet Pea had changed, and wasn't quite sure if she hated herself for it. Just because he stupidly ran into a fight didn't mean she should just forgive him, even if he did get hurt. But, she couldn't help but worry about what could have happened if Veronica hadn't taken Archie's gun... what would have happened if she could never tell him how she really felt about him, even if he might not reciprocate. Leaving something unsaid, the idea of it, was what killed her the most.


	33. Chapter Thirty Three

Melora nervously chewed on her bottom lip, pacing back and forth as she waited for the familiar sound of Sweet Pea's motorcycle. It had been only five minutes, but he shouldn't have been that far behind so the lag in arrival times should not be so significant. "What if he got stopped by the cops, or they all were thrown in jail, or—"

"Worrying won't do shit, okay? Besides, if they're caught, they'll be let out by tomorrow morning," Fangs sighed. "Chill out. Have a drink, or something. Just... wait for Sweet Pea to get back."

"Yeah, but what if—"

"I thought you told me you wanted some space from him," Toni crossed her arms, recalling a conversation they had before Veronica and Fangs had whisked her away, "that you were so angry with him that the last thing you wanted was to see his face again."

"That was before he got into a fight with one of my best friends," Melora sighed in frustration, running her hands over her curly, frizzy hair. "I'm mad at him, but the reason we fought in the first place was because I cared for him and he got scared and wanted to push me away. At least, that's what I think." She paused for a couple of moments, eyeing herself in the cracked mirror on the wall. Her makeup was smeared, making her look like a sad clown, and her hair was perfectly styled until she got out in the rain. Now, it was messy, chaotic, and she was sporting an afro. The good thing, was that she looked good with it. The bad thing was, she didn't want her hair to look like this. She wanted it neat and pretty, not crazy and unkempt. "God, I look insane..."

Three quick knocks brought the three's attention to the door. "Topaz, it's me."

"Come in, Sweet Pea," Toni bellowed, beckoning him to come in. "Thank God, now Melora can stop pacing around and creating fire tracks on the carpet."

"Oh, shut up," Melora muttered, poking her tongue out at her best friend as Sweet Pea let himself in. "Are you okay, Sweet Pea?"

"I had to drop someone off—their bike wasn't working," Sweet Pea apologized, averting his gaze from Melora's. "Sorry for worrying you."

"Hey, maybe we should go..." Fangs grinned cheekily, inching towards the door.

Toni shook her head. "Nuh-uh, this is my place. If those two idiots are going to talk, they can do it at his place."

"Who said I wanted to talk to him?" Melora crossed her arms defiantly, turning her head. "Now that I know he's not jailed, or fucking dead in a ditch, I can go home and not get yelled at from my mom for being out in the rain and fucking up my hair."

Toni and Fangs met each other's gazes, then burst out into her worried rants from the past five or so minutes. "Oh, God, Sweet Pea is so stupid, but right now I just need to know that he's okay. I need to talk to him, or else I can't tell him—"

"Okay... maybe I did say that... but I didn't mean it," Melora stomped her foot like a child, stepping away from Sweet Pea as he slowly moved towards her, teasingly, as if he knew she desperately wanted to talk to him. "I'm still mad at you, and your stupid actions don't change anything."

"But we still need to talk," Sweet Pea nodded in agreement.

"I don't want to talk to you right now, Sweet Pea," Melora grit her teeth. "I'm still reeling over the events of today. And with how you're acting, if you're hoping we'll talk and it'll end up in a booty call, you're wrong. I refuse to let that happen."

"That's alright with me," Sweet Pea smirked. "C'mon, Lily is at a friend's house tonight, so I'm all alone."

"This sounds like a proposition," Melora narrowed her gaze at the boy. "If any signs of Rocco's personality shows, I will literally hit you. You hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Pea and Melora, after saying goodbye to Fangs and Toni, paced their way over to Sweet Pea's trailer. Just like he said, it was empty—dark, and in the stormy moonlight, was quite romantic, and she hated that every bone in her body desperately wanted to fuck him. Because as angry and worried as she was for him, the way he had wanted to protect her after the gun shot rang off filled her with shivers of lust. Of course, she kept them down, and was going to continue to do so until they weren't in a bad spot.

"Sit down. Where's the first aid kit?" Melora demanded, watching as Sweet Pea sighed and slid onto the counter top with a tight lipped smile.

"The cupboard under the sink," he answered. "So... about what I was saying in the convenience store, about what I was letting Rocco say—"

"No, if we're going to talk, we're going to start this shit from the beginning," Melora cut him off, digging through the heaping pile of plastic bags to finally uncover the white first aid box. She took it out and closed the cupboard doors, then turned around and faced Sweet Pea. "Back to this morning, where you accused me of trying to change you to be my bad boy Serpent trophy."

"Yeah..." he hung his head, avoiding her gaze in embarrassment. "I was just—"

"I'm treating your wounds, I get to talk first," Melora interrupted, letting out a breath of repressed contempt. "I know we're kind of past you saying that the Black Hood was a saint, so I'll skip a bit farther. I told you that I knew you were better than what the North Side thinks of you, and you retaliated and told me that I just wanted to change you to be some bad boy turned best boyfriend trophy."

"I—"

"I'm not finished," Melora growled, pressing an alcohol wipe onto the top of the boy's cheek, directly beneath his eye. He winced, sending her a small glare, while she simply blew him a kiss since she knew exactly what she was doing. "That really fucking hurt me, Sweet Pea. It hurt me so much, because it's not true at all. I don't want to turn you into the world's best boyfriend, I don't want you to change into some off-brand North Side boy, because I like you just the way you are. Of course, you can be aggressive, and unapproachable, but those are qualities that can be... adapted. Not taken away, just tweaked a little bit. And I have some bad qualities too, but when you're in a relationship, you're supposed to better one another, make each other the best version of yourself that you can be."

"Yeah, I get that," he muttered. "I've been trying to work on being less of an asshole and embracing who I really am, the me that I've repressed so far deep inside of me that I have to work hard to keep that part of me on the surface. Fangs has been helping me, but after the fight this morning I was just so angry at myself for letting my aggressive behavior get the best of me—I didn't want to push you away, but I was so scared of losing you that I didn't realize it was happening without me even knowing I was doing it. Again, I'm very sorry, Lora. Can you forgive me?"

"I don't know, we'll talk about that later," Melora murmured, dabbing at another scratch on his neck that went all the way under his shirt. "Okay, before I continue, you have more shit under your sopping wet clothes, so go get dressed and we'll finish this up and access your damages."

"If you wanted to get me naked, Lora, all you had to do was ask," Sweet Pea smirked.

Melora couldn't help the tiny smile that lifted her lips. Shaking her head, she pushed him away from her to convince him to get dressed.

"So, was your Reggie line earlier this morning just a way to piss me off, or did you actually mean it?" Melora called aloud to him, where he was changing in the bathroom. "You know what he did to me, yet you told me to go back to the North Side—back to him, as if I was his property and you were done fighting for me. That was fucked up, Pea..."

"I was angry," Sweet Pea excused, voice laced with disappointment in himself. "I hated myself for it, especially when you started to cry, and then stormed away. I immediately regretted it, and I wanted to stop you and grab your hand and kiss you and tell you that I didn't mean it, that if he ever got near you, I wouldn't hesitate to stab him in the gut, but something in me just wouldn't budge. I was too... afraid."

Melora paused, curiously listening as she watched water trickle down the window of the trailer. "Of what?"

"I don't know. If my stupid mouth would fuck something up even more?" Sweet Pea whispered lowly from behind her, startling the girl as she hadn't of realized him having finished getting dressed. "I'm sorry. My anger fucks everything up and I don't want it to ruin what we have. You're good for me, and on the South Side, that's hard to come by. Finding something that doesn't want to use you, or slowly destroy you is rare, and I just..."

"Hey, I get it. I get why you're constantly angry, why you keep a big chunk of yourself hidden to protect yourself, Pea," Melora reached up and gently rubbed her thumb across his cheek, her lips inches from his. "You were born here, on the South Side. It's either kill or be killed, and I know it's scary to try and keep that sweet side of you alive and bright, but I would never try to change you. This is how you are, and as long as you're here, you're going to constantly get into fights, do stupid shit, and I can't really stop you. But, for my sake, please don't make it worse."

"You know I can't promise that. Your stupid friend is backing me into a corner—if I don't retaliate, the Serpents will find that as a weakness and then... God, I don't even want to know what they'll do," Sweet Pea brushed a wet strand of Melora's hair out of her face, and smiled down at her tenderly. "The Serpents is all I have."

"That's a lie," Melora became aware of what was happening between the two, how close they were, and stepped away, clearing her throat. "You have me, and I know they're your family, Pea, but I don't want you to have to be looking over your shoulder all the time. I want to..." she bit down on her lip, afraid of his reaction to what she wanted for him, for his future, "I want to help get you, and Fangs, and anybody else who wants to get out, out. You're children, and you shouldn't have to resort to selling drugs, thinking you're nothing. You're the future of our generation, and I know you are smart enough to get out of this town. I want you to figure out what it is you want to do in life, and work towards it."

"What, do you expect me to be a doctor, or something?" Sweet Pea let out a humored laugh. "Right... like South Side High will help me do that. Maybe if situations change, but for right now, I just have to keep me and Lily afloat."

"And I know you'll probably feel like I'm giving hand outs, but my family is loaded and instead of buying out a theater and all of their candy for my friends, I would rather help their life become what they always dreamed it could have been," Melora stated. "So, can you lift up your shirt so I can see what Archie did to you?"

As Sweet Pea complied and lifted up his shirt, he chuckled as she stared down at the girl he admired. "It's pouring outside, and I am not letting you get any more sick. You're staying here."

"Sweet—"

"No, now it's my turn to be demanding," he cut her off, shaking his head. "You can borrow one of my shirts, and maybe some boxers, and I'll sleep on the floor."

"The North Side rich bitch can sleep on the floor," Melora murmured, tapping the alcohol wipe in her hand onto his chest. "Trust me, it might help keep her grounded. But, just because we're in this weird 'sort of fighting, sort of making up' phase right now, doesn't mean I wouldn't be opposed to sleeping with you—I mean, sleeping next to you, on the couch. No sex, especially considering I heard you don't like me being more dominant than you."

"That was a lie!" Sweet Pea groaned. "You really want me to get on my knees and tell you, don't you?"

"Kind of, but that's more of the lust talking, not the actual me," Melora snickered. "Still, the idea of someone I'm sleeping with lie to me as a way to please me... is horrible. Because sex is supposed to be good for both parties, and, fuck, when you said that, my heart fucking dropped because I would never want to force anybody to do something they didn't want to."

"Oh, God, no, I love demanding, dominant Lora," Sweet Pea smirked. "I mean, if we're kind of fighting... you need to punish me, right?"

"Oh, my God," Melora laughed, following what he was insinuating.

Sweet Pea gently moved her hands away from his chest to lift the shirt up around his head, then glancing down at her as she watched him curiously, wanting to see what he would do next. "I was an ass. Guess you need to tell me what to do to make up for it, right? I heard my hands are really great... and sometimes my mouth might get me into trouble but it also is really great at doing whatever it is you want it to."

"Wow, you're really fucking horny, aren't you?" Melora gaped at the boy, standing up to her full height. "If I'm being honest, you being worried and protecting me after Veronica shot the gun was really... hot."

"Then we both want this. Right?" Sweet Pea's smile only widened into a big, cheeky grin. "No pleasure for me, but I'm at your mercy."

Melora was conflicted. She said she didn't want to have sex with him despite really craving it, but that was mostly because she was an emotional lover and would compromise their talk. However, non-emotional sex was okay... right? And if she was stuck here and sobered up from the rain, what else was there to do?

Plopping down onto couch, she beckoned him over with her finger. "Let's see if that mouth is any good."


End file.
